The Path of Honor
by Reynold J. Dalton
Summary: Maruyama Shigure is a legend among Pokemon trainers. When Ash and his friends get their chance to meet him, they get caught up in the plans of the crime lord, Ivan Zokas. R&R, Flames keep me warm at night.
1. Giovanni Dethroned

1 Giovanni Dethroned  
  
The morning air was slowly warming as the day began. Not a single cloud was in the sky and the sun shone brightly as it crept up over the mountains, melting what was left of the winter snow from the ground. It was going to be a beautiful day. Through the bedroom window of his private residence, the leader of Team Rocket noticed this with pleasure.  
Smiling maliciously at the thought of the day's business, Giovanni buttoned up his brown suit, straitened his tie and tied the laces on his neatly polished shoes. Looking at the mirror, he slicked back his hair, which was still wet from his morning shower. With a last check to make sure everything was in order, he turned to the door and left the room.  
Outside, two uniformed guards waited. The moment the door opened, they straightened up and stood at attention. Giovanni stepped out of the bedroom and the two guards saluted him. He nodded to them and they returned to attention.  
"Sir!" one said, "Today's newspaper is on your desk, as well as the weekly stock reports and the business agenda for today."  
"You're breakfast is being prepared as we speak," said the other. "It will be ready and on your desk in minutes."  
"Excellent," Giovanni replied. "Come, Persian."  
Giovanni's cat pokemon climbed from its bed, lazily stretched and yawned and trotted over to its master. With a strict and confident stride, Giovanni marched down the halls of his private residence, his bodyguards marching exactly two steps behind him. When they reached his home office, from where Giovanni controlled every operation of his diabolical organization, the two guards stepped past him and stood on either side of the door, one of them opening it for their leader. The door closed behind him as he entered the office.  
On the desk next to his computer, sat a silver tray with a plate of ham and eggs, toast, and a steaming cup of coffee. Next the tray was the newspaper and several files. Giovanni's butler bowed as his boss took his seat.  
"One lump and just a little creme," Giovanni ordered.  
While the servant prepared the coffee, Giovanni buttered the toast and ate it. When the butler set the coffee down, Giovanni had begun on the eggs and ham. While he ate, the butler placed a bowl of food before Persian and petted its head. Giovanni quietly finished his meal, pushed the tray aside and unfolded the newspaper. The butler cleaned the tray and removed it from the desk.  
"That will be all for now," Giovanni said. "You are dismissed."  
"Sir!" the butler replied, then left the room.  
Giovanni skimmed through the various articles in the paper, nonchalantly sipping his coffee. He read the stock reports, pleased to see everything going in his favor. As he was reading, the phone rang. He picked up the receiver and the image of a dark-haired woman in her early twenties appeared on the video monitor.  
"Ah, Wendy," he said, "what business do you have?"  
"Hello, boss," Wendy replied, "I'm happy to report that three of SilphCo.'s competitors filed for bankruptcy just last night. It seems that their deliveries kept mysteriously disappearing. The new equipment has already been installed."  
"Excellent," Giovanni remarked. "With those companies run into the ground, the value of our stocks should skyrocket any day now. I love a successful business endeavor."  
"And we love manipulating the market," Wendy laughed. "But I'm afraid I also have some bad news."  
Giovanni cocked his eyebrow, upset. "What is it?"  
"It's about Jessie and James, sir."  
Giovanni scowled at the sound of the two names. "What did they do now?" he demanded angrily.  
"They used Team Rocket's funds to purchase six thousand dollars worth of equipment, which was promptly destroyed in their attempt to, believe it or not, capture a Pikachu."  
"Are they still trying to steal that same pokemon?" Giovanni growled, pounding his fist on the desk. "Blast those incompetent fools. Can't they do anything right? Did we make up the loss with our other operations?"  
"Yes," Wendy said uncomfortably, "but there's no reason why we should have to. I think that it would be best to drop those two from our group."  
Giovanni sat silently in thought for a moment. He was sorely disappointed by the duo's recent rate of failure. Letting them go might be a good move for Team Rocket. Not only that, but the constant complaints about them from other members would stop.  
As he was about to answer, the door opened and another person entered the room; a man he'd never seen before. Persian hissed angrily at the intruder.  
"I'll have to get back to you on this matter," he told her. "It seems that I have a guest."  
"A guest?" Wendy started. "But. . ."  
Giovanni hung the receiver, cutting her off mid-sentence. Sliding back in his chair and rising to his feet, he addressed the newcomer.  
"How did you find this place?" He demanded calmly. "And how did you get in here?"  
"With the right connections, nothing can be kept a secret," the man replied, speaking with a heavy Russian accent. "And your bodyguards, they are not very good."  
'Who is this man?' Giovanni wondered as he examined him. He had short, dark-brown hair and sky-blue eyes, which were magnified under exceptionally thick, black-rimmed glasses. Over his black suit, he wore a black, double-layered greatcoat. Judging by the thickness of the second layer, Giovanni concluded that it was bulletproof. He stood a little over six feet tall and it was obvious that he was stronger than Giovanni. It appeared that the man knew it, for he stared at Giovanni with an unflinching smile of supremacy.  
"Who are you?" Giovanni queried.  
"My name is Ivan Zokas," the man replied. "I am a trainer. One of the best, in fact."  
"I see," Giovanni said, still suspicious. "Well, if you wish to join our organization, I'm afraid that you've come to the wrong place. I just run the company, I don't handle new member registration."  
Ivan chuckled mockingly. "I'm not here to join your group," he explained. "I'm here to take it over."  
Giovanni snorted. "Corporate takeover?" he scoffed. "Who do you think you are? Guards, in here immediately!"  
No reply came. Giovanni called for them again, but only silence was returned. Ivan chuckled again.  
"Like I said, your bodyguards are not very good."  
Perspiration formed on the back of Giovanni's neck and his cheeks. He felt a sense of helplessness as he stared at this man who stood threateningly before him. Nervously, he reached for the handgun in his desk drawer.  
"That isn't really necessary," Ivan said, guessing his intent. "We don't need to resort to violence to solve this. I have every intention of legally assuming control of Team Rocket."  
Giovanni's eyebrow twitched. "I have no intention of selling my company to you."  
"I didn't expect that you would," Ivan replied. "I challenge you to a battle."  
"A battle?" Giovanni was confused. "Why would I risk everything that I have on a battle with you? What could possibly be worth such a chance?"  
"How about six hundred thousand dollars?" Ivan offered.  
Giovanni's jaw dropped. Unsure whether or not he had heard correctly, he hesitated. He sat back down in his chair and scrutinized the man who stood before him. He couldn't believe that someone could have that much money, and yet he wouldn't have heard of him before.  
"That is a lot of money," he said at last. "But I don't know."  
"You're hesitant," Ivan stated. "How about this then? I bet that one of my pokemon could defeat six of yours and I'll increase the sum to eight hundred thousand."  
"Can you pay that much?" Giovanni asked.  
"Pocket change," Ivan replied. "A drop in the bucket compared to everything that I have."  
Still suspecting some sort of foul play, Giovanni remained quiet for a moment.  
"You know something I don't," he said.  
"Possibly. Ask anything you like, I will answer any question honestly."  
"What kind of battle did you have in mind? What are the rules?"  
"I will place no restrictions. Fight as you see fit."  
"What kind of pokemon can participate?"  
"It does not matter. If you have any legendary pokemon at your disposal, feel free to use them. All at once, if you wish."  
Giovanni smiled. The man was a fool. "I can have any six that I choose and there are no rules to the battle?"  
Ivan nodded. "And I will only use one."  
Giovanni chuckled. "Even I can't resist a bet where the odds are so heavily stacked in my favor. This will be the easiest match I'll ever fight. You have a wager."  
A broad grin slowly stretched across Ivan's face.  
  
Giovanni took his place in the balcony seat above the stadium floor, while his Persian sat beside him. Ivan stood quietly on the floor across the room from him, the same defiant smile on his face.  
"We'll do this one-on-one," Giovanni said.  
"Whatever you wish," Ivan replied.  
Ivan reached into his greatcoat and retrieved a small gold-colored object. Giovanni strained to see it. It was a strange metal band with some kind of electrical plug on the inside of it. Ivan brushed aside the hair around the base of his spine, exposing a sort of power socket, which Giovanni couldn't see. He inserted the plug into it, then clamped the band around his head.  
"I'm ready when you are," Ivan stated.  
Giovanni hesitated, then reached over to the control panel at his side and pressed one of the buttons. A pokeball rose up out of the panel. Giovanni took the ball and opened it. In a flash of light, a Rydon appeared. Ivan smiled, reached into his coat, drew out a pokeball and threw it into the air. A Charizard appeared.  
"Ha!" Giovanni sneered. "Your pokemon will have a disadvantage in attacking."  
"Whatever you say," Ivan replied, his voice cold and emotionless as he adjusted his glasses.  
Giovanni looked over Ivan's Charizard and noticed that it was wearing a gold band around its head, just like its owner. Distress nagged at the corner of his mind, but he dismissed it and gave the first order to attack.  
"Rydon, horn drill!"  
With a fierce growl, the Rydon charged, pointing its horn at the Charizard's chest.  
'Fly,' Ivan thought.  
The Charizard spread its wings and leapt into air, allowing the Rydon to pass harmlessly beneath it. It growled with rage as its opponent hovered above it. With a second mental command, Ivan ordered his Charizard to attack. It swooped down, grabbed the Rydon and lifted it into the air. Rydon struggled fruitlessly to escape Charizard's hold. Giovanni's eyes widened in shock as the Charizard curled back its wings and plummeted like a meteor, slamming its victim into the ground and knocking it out in one blow.  
Angrily, he recalled it and pressed a different button. This time he released a Blastois.  
"Beat this!" he dared. "Hydro pump!"  
The Blastois opened the water guns inside its shell and released a forceful blast of water.  
'Fire blast,' Ivan thought.  
With a roar that shook the building, the Charizard opened its mouth and spewed a stream of flame. Steam exploded into the air as the two attacks met. Giovanni leaned over the guardrail to watch the pokemon struggle to overpower each other. To his surprise, Blastois' strength gave out and Charizard's fiery breath hit it in the chest, pushing it back until it slammed into the wall, cracking the cement. With a broken groan, it collapsed to the ground.  
"How can a fire pokemon defeat a water pokemon in one blow?" he wondered aloud.  
"Two out," Ivan said, "four to go."  
Furiously, Giovanni slammed his hand against the control panel, releasing three pokeballs. Kangaskhan, Machamp and Nidoking stood before Ivan's Charizard.  
"So much for one-on-one," Ivan laughed. "But I did say no restrictions." 'Finish them quickly.'  
"Attack!" Giovanni ordered. "Nidoking use poison sting. Kangaskhan, take-down. Machamp, double team it."  
Giovanni's three pokemon charged. Nidoking lowered its head to jab Charizard with its poisonous horn. The Charizard sidestepped, wrapping its tail around Nidoking's leg and tripping it. Then it leapt into the air, slapping Kangaskhan in the face with its flaming tail and causing it to stumble backward. Diving, Charizard smashed Machamp into the ground, turned and pummeled the Kangaskhan with its fiery breath. Kangaskhan howled in pain as it dropped.  
As the Nidoking struggled to its feet, Charizard casually walked over to it, grabbed it by the horn and shoulder and slammed its face into the ground. Nidoking labored to stand, but collapsed, unable to continue.  
Now the worry that he had ignored at the beginning of the match returned. Ivan had beaten five of his strongest pokemon and his Charizard hadn't received a single blow. He was one pokemon away from losing everything he had worked for. His mind raced desperately for some hope of salvation from the juggernaut he was up against. Sensing its master's desperation, Persian hissed and leapt from the balcony.  
"No!" Giovanni shouted.  
But it was already too late. Persian lunged at the Charizard, slashing it across the chest before it could attack. Charizard growled and swung its claws at its new opponent. Persian ducked under the attack and struck again, drawing three bleeding cuts across Charizard's face. Being in the air put Persian off balance, however, and Charizard brought its foot up and caught Persian in the gut, sending it sprawling onto its back. Charizard pinned it under its foot and snapped its mouth over its neck. It held the cat pokemon gently for a moment, as though it enjoyed watching its opponent flail about helplessly. As it struggled, Persian slashed Charizard in the face again. Angered, the Charizard jerked its head sharply to the side.  
Giovanni gasped in shock when he heard the loud snap and saw his Persian's body go rigid momentarily, heard its anguished yowl. He gave a cry of rage as the Charizard released Persian, which fell limply to the ground, its head lolling lifelessly from side to side. He rushed down the stairs, ran to his fallen pet and kneeled beside it. Desperately, he pressed his hand against its mouth. He gasped when he realized that it wasn't breathing. Charizard had broken its neck. He backed away from it in disbelief.  
"You!" he cried, pointing to Ivan. "You killed it."  
Ivan was silent, his expression cold and hard as steel.  
"But I've never seen a pokemon kill," he whispered.  
"My pokemon will kill if I order them too," Ivan said. "I've trained them that way. Now, you must turn control of Team Rocket over to me."  
Giovanni's fists clenched, his lower lip twitched in furry. "I'll never give Team Rocket to you!"  
"You don't have a choice," Ivan said, the sharpness of his voice cutting Giovanni like a dagger. "You bet your organization on this battle and I won."  
"You cheated!" Giovanni screamed. "I know you cheated somehow." He pointed at Ivan's forehead. "That headband of yours has something to do with it."  
"I said no restrictions and you agreed," Ivan reminded him. "I couldn't have cheated if I tried. The fact of the matter is that my pokemon are able to push themselves harder than yours ever could. You must turn over your company to me now. With it, I will go further than you could ever dream."  
"You'll never get it!" Giovanni yelled. "Not as long as I live."  
Ivan smiled. He looked out the window at the sky. "Beautiful weather, no? It would be a good day to die."  
"Is that so?"  
Giovanni stepped back. With a quick motion, he drew a pistol from his suit and aimed for Ivan. In the same instant, Ivan snatched a whip from his coat and swung it out. The end of it wrapped around the pistol and, with a twist of his hand, Ivan jerked the gun away. "If you won't give me your company, then I have no choice." Turning to his pokemon, he commanded, "Charizard, kill him!"  
Gasping in horror, Giovanni backed away throwing out his hands defenselessly. Charizard growled as it stepped toward him.  
"No!" Giovanni cried. "You can't!"  
Despair filled his thoughts. How could he, the leader of Team Rocket, be killed like this? It was impossible. In fear he tried to run, but stumbled and fell to the floor. Charizard pounced, pinning him on his back. It growled at him, its steaming hot breath condensing on his face.  
"No!" he begged. "Please don't! You can't do this! PLEASE!"  
Ivan chuckled at the sight of the great criminal mastermind in tears, blubbering pathetically. "Do svidaniya, Giovanni," he said with a sadistic chuckle.  
Giovanni's final scream echoed throughout the building for a few moments and the last thing he would ever remember was the sight of Charizard's huge jaws closing tightly around his head.  
As Ivan watched Giovanni die, he casually opened the upper right pocket of his greatcoat and withdrew a package of cigarettes and put one into his mouth. He put the pack away, lit it on Charizard's tail and inhaled deeply, allowing the nicotine to flow into his blood, then sighed contentedly.  
"And now," Ivan concluded, a foul, gray haze swirling about his face, "my command over all the resources of Team Rocket is supreme."  
Ivan laughed triumphantly as Charizard raised its head to roar, filling the air with searing flames. 


	2. Banzai Town

2 Banzai Town  
  
"I'm hungry," Ash complained for the third time in the last half hour. "How far are we from the next town?"  
"Stop whining," Misty snapped.  
Ash's head drooped miserably. His Pikachu, which rested on his shoulder, patted him on the head sympathetically.  
It was a warm day and the sky was only dotted with a few clouds. The scenery wasn't that bad either. The path that the group walked on ran through a small forest and the trees where just beginning to blossom in the spring weather, filling the air with a sweet fragrance. He might have enjoyed the hike if his stomach hadn't started growling on him.  
"Where are we going again?" he asked, looking toward Brock.  
"A place called Banzai Town," Brock replied cheerfully.  
"I've never heard it," Ash remarked confusedly.  
Brock nodded. "It's a small town," he explained. "Its population is only thirty-nine people. It's so small that it doesn't even appear on some maps. It's just at the end of the forest."  
Ash raised an eyebrow. "If it's so small, then why are we going there?"  
Brock smiled. "Someone I met in the last city told me about it. You'll see when we get there."  
Misty groaned. "What's the big secret?" she demanded. "We're going really out of the way to see this town. It had better be important."  
"I think you'll agree with me when I say that our detour will be worth it," Brock replied with a smile.  
"Pi?" Pikachu squeaked in a somewhat demanding tone.  
Brock just smiled and refused to answer when he was questioned further. After a while, they stopped asking and enjoyed the peaceful afternoon excursion, the silence only being once interrupted by Ash's complaints of hunger.  
Fifteen minutes later, the three of them came to the end of the forest and saw the town of Banzai. Just as Brock had told them, it was tiny. The town was composed of only fourteen scattered buildings that rested in the shadow of what could be described as either large hills or small mountains. Just a little to the west of the town was a farm, which itself was larger than the whole town. A bit beyond that was a beautiful lake, sparkling like crystal in the sunlight. It was a quaint little town.  
"Wow," Ash said. "Not a bad looking place."  
"Pi-pikachu," Pikachu agreed.  
"Let's go," Brock said.  
  
The town seemed empty when they first entered it. After the other cities they had been to, it was a little disconcerting to hear nothing but the chittering of birds within site of buildings. Ash half expected ghosts to pop out at them. The group went to three houses and found them all empty.  
"Where is everybody?" Misty asked. "Brock, are you sure this is the right place."  
"This is definitely the place," Brock replied.  
In the distance, they heard the sound of children laughing.  
"There," Brock said. "Someone is here."  
The group followed the source of the sound to a small white house surrounded by a wooden fence. Within the fence, several young children were playing with a Chikorita. After a moment, one of them noticed the group. The young boy ran to the fence gate and climbed up onto it.  
"Hey," Brock said, "can we speak to your dad?"  
The child shook his head. "Daddy's not here now. He's gone to the farm."  
"Is your mother here then?" Misty asked.  
The boy hopped down and ran back toward the house. Halfway to it, he stopped, turned back to them and waved for them to follow. Ash pushed open the gate and the three of them followed the boy to the porch.  
"Hey ma!" the boy shouted. "There are some strangers here who want to see you!"  
"Don't shout, Kevin" came a reply from within the house.  
A few moments later, a red-haired, middle-aged woman came through the door, wiping her hands dry in her apron. She seemed surprised when she saw Ash and the others.  
"Strangers!" the boy exclaimed, pointing at them.  
"Sure are," the woman said. "Go play with the others."  
"Kay!"  
The boy leapt from the porch and ran to his friends. The woman smiled as she watched them, then cleared her throat.  
"We don't get many visitors," she said.  
"No kidding," Ash said.  
"Pika," Pikachu added.  
The woman laughed. "When Kevin said strangers, I thought it was a joke. You're the first people from outside this town to come here in almost two years. What can I do for you?"  
Brock stepped up onto the porch.  
"We were wondering," he began, "is this the town where Mr. Maruyama lives?"  
"Shigure?" the woman asked.  
"Yeah that's the guy."  
"Mr. Maruyama?" Ash repeated. "Wait! The Mr. Maruyama? He lives here?"  
The woman gave Ash a suspicious look. "No," she said. "He doesn't live in this town, but it is the closest one to his home."  
"Huh?" Brock said, confused. "You mean he doesn't actually live in the town?"  
The woman shook her head and pointed her thumb over her shoulder. "He lives up there."  
The others looked in the direction she pointed, directly at the mountain.  
"If you follow the trail up the mountain for four miles, you'll come to a plateau," she explained. "That's where his house is."  
"Four miles!?" Ash moaned. "We have to walk four more miles?"  
"Bit of a recluse, isn't he?" Misty said.  
"Recluse?" the woman repeated. "Not at all. It was the only place where he could build a house large enough to suit his needs without it standing out in contrast to the rest of the town. He has a lot of pokemon."  
"I'll bet he does," Brock replied.  
"Yeah," Ash added. "He's famous."  
The woman gave Ash a confused look, as though he had just told her the Orange Islands had sunk into the sea.  
"Famous?" she asked. "You're kidding. He never told me he was famous."  
The others looked at each other in shock.  
"You didn't know?" Misty asked.  
The woman shook her head. "What's he famous for?"  
"It's said that he's seen every pokemon known to exist," Ash said. "They had a big TV interview with him a few years ago."  
"Never watch TV," the woman replied. "It rots your brain."  
Ash was about to reply, but his stomach made a gurgling noise. He chuckled, embarrassed, and scratched the back of his head.  
"You must be really hungry," the woman said with a motherly smile. "Why don't you come in and have something to eat before you head up the trail?"  
"That sounds great," Ash said.  
"Pikachu!" Pikachu exclaimed cheerfully.  
"We don't want to impose," Misty said politely.  
"Yes, we do," Ash blurted.  
Misty shot Ash a fiery glare that made him jump. "We don't want to be rude!" she snarled, hitting him on the head.  
The woman laughed at the slapstick. "Nonsense. I'd be the one who was rude if I let you hike up the mountain on an empty stomach. Besides, I was making lunch anyway."  
  
After a pleasant meal, the three of them started up the trail. Despite the look of the mountain, the trail was a fairly easy hike. It winded about the mountain, finding its way to the most gradual slopes possible. Twice along the way, the trail met with a steep incline, which slowed them down a bit, but, for the most part, it wasn't too challenging.  
After about an hour and a half, thick, gray clouds began to build in the sky. Ash looked at them uncomfortably.  
"I think it's going to rain," he said.  
"It shouldn't be too much farther," Brock pointed out. "We should come to the house any minute now."  
The clouds continued to get thicker and darker for the next half hour as the three of them continued to climb the trail. The humidity increased until rain became evident. They sped up their pace until the trail leveled out and they came in sight of Mr. Maruyama's home.  
The house was quite large. It was two stories tall and probably had thirty rooms. With the huge fence that ran around behind the house, it looked more like a ranch than a single home.  
A loud boom of thunder shook the air around them. Startled, Misty's Togepi began to squeal fearfully. She comforted it while they approached the house. When they reached the house, Brock pressed the intercom button. After a moment of silence, he pressed the button again. There was no reply. Brock sighed.  
"He must not be home," he said.  
"You mean after all that, he's not even here?" Ash whined.  
Another crack of thunder sounded, louder than before.  
"It'll start soon," Misty noted. "We'll never get down off the mountain before the storm hits."  
"Maybe we should wait here," Ash suggested.  
Pikachu's ears twitched. It sniffed the air curiously. It hopped down off of Ash's shoulder and ran back down the trail towards the edge of the plateau.  
"Hey!" Ash yelled. "Where are you going?"  
"Pika!" it replied.  
Suddenly, a Raichu came running down the trail. It stopped when it saw Pikachu.  
"Pika?" Pikachu called.  
"Rai," the Raichu answered, nodding.  
Pikachu ran back to Ash. "Pika!" it cried happily. "Pikachu!"  
Before Ash could say anything, the sound of another voice cut him off.  
"What is it, Sparky?" the voice asked.  
A short man with long, tied-back black hair came into view at the edge of the trail. He was wearing grubby cloths that were spattered with soil and mud, thick work gloves and a Japanese farmer's hat. He was thin faced with a short, bristly beard and appeared to be fairly strong, despite the fact that he was obviously well into his sixties, which could be gathered from the streaks of greying hair.  
He strolled casually to the Raichu and repeated his question. In response, it pointed to the others waiting at the house. He looked up, raising his hat so he could see them clearly. He approached them, lowering his hat again.  
"What are you doing here?" he asked in a polite, but insistent tone. "And who are you?"  
"I'm Ash," Ash replied, then indicated to his friends. "These are my friends, Misty and Brock. We came to meet Mr. Maruyama, but it looks like he's not home."  
"I see," the man replied, removing his hat. "It appears that I arrived just in time. I am Maruyama Shigure, welcome to my home." He bowed to them.  
"Really?" Ash exclaimed exuberantly. Reaching out quickly, he took Mr. Maruyama by the hand before he had completely straightened himself and shook it vigorously. "It's great to meet you, Mr. Maruyama"  
"Just call me Shigure," he replied, almost dropping his hat in surprise. After a moment, he added, "You can stop shaking my hand now."  
"Oh," Ash replied, withdrawing his hand and chuckling nervously.  
Before another word was said, it started to rain. For a few moments, there were only a few tiny droplets, but it quickly increased into a steady shower. Shigure took a key from his pocket.  
"Shall we go in?" he said, unlocking the door.  
It was warm and brightly lit inside Shigure's home, giving the house a very comfortable atmosphere. The floor was covered with soft brown carpeting. One would feel right at home the moment he entered. Misty commented on the fact.  
"Thank you," Shigure replied. "I do what I can to make it homey."  
From another room, a Clefairy came running toward Shigure. Smiling, he bent down and scooped it up in his left arm.  
"Phoebe, girl," he said sweetly, mussing her hair. "How's the day been?"  
"Clefairy," Phoebe replied joyfully. "Clefairy."  
"I'm glad to hear it," he said. She daintily hopped down from his arm and danced off into another room, filling the air with a sweet melody as she sang to herself.  
"She's so cute," Misty said. "Where did you find her?"  
"She came to me, actually," Shigure replied. "After her previous owner abandoned her, she came here."  
"On her own?" Brock asked.  
"Happens all the time," Shigure said. "For some reason, abandoned pokemon or mistreated ones who run away from their masters come to me from time to time. I've no idea why."  
Shigure smiled, hung his hat on the coat rack and went into the same room as Phoebe, the others following.  
The next room was just as cozy as the first. It had the look of a cabin, with its walls made to look like logs, a carved stone fireplace and a few couches and chairs. Over the fireplace, hung a painted portrait of Shigure sitting in a reclining chair, with Phoebe sitting in his lap and Sparky standing to the left of him.  
"This is my living room," Shigure said. "Make yourselves at home while I check on someone."  
Shigure walked to another door and opened it. Ash looked around him and saw an Alakazam sitting in a meditative position, concentrating on its spoon with all its power.  
"Houdini," he called. "How is it going?"  
"Kazam!" it replied angrily, not looking away from its spoon.  
"I see," Shigure said, nodding. "Can I get you anything?"  
"ZAM!" it growled.  
"I'll leave you to yourself then."  
Shigure quickly closed the door. Sighing, he returned to his guests.  
"What's wrong with your Alakazam?" Ash asked.  
"He's in a sour mood," Shigure explained. "He's been trying to increase his powers, but he seems to have hit a snag. He's been working at it for three days; doesn't seem to want any company." Looking back toward the room, he added, "He's a little temperamental, so its best to just leave him alone for now."  
At that moment, a Flareon came in through a doggy door at the back of the room. Shigure bent down on his knees and petted it on the head, laughing as it rose up on its hind legs to nuzzle his face.  
"Are you home, Shigure?"  
Ash heard the voice, but only in his head. It echoed in his mind for a few moments after it spoke.  
"I know that voice," he said.  
Ash turned as the door behind him opened. He smiled as saw the other pokemon, but Mewtwo stood in the doorway with his jaw dropped like a dead fish at the sight of him. 


	3. Friends, Old and New

3 Friends, Old and New  
  
Wendy sat at her desk, typing her business report. Nervously, she glanced at the clock. Ivan was due to arrive any moment now and that put her on edge. The new leader had barely been in control for a few weeks since he bought it out following Giovanni's murder, but already he was reforming Team Rocket. In the past two weeks alone, he had systematically checked nearly all departments, firing and replacing over two hundred members. Some departments were dropped from the group completely. As she waited for him to arrive, Wendy was almost certain that this would be her last day in Team Rocket.  
There was a knock at the door. Startled, Wendy almost jumped right out of her skin. She took a moment to calm herself down before answering it.  
"It's open," she said.  
The door popped open and Ivan casually sauntered into the room. He had a friendly expression, but in his eyes, Wendy could see a lust for power that could never be satisfied. She smiled, forcing herself to swallow the lump of fear in her throat.  
"G-good day, boss," she faltered. "H-how have you been?"  
"Do you like your job?" Ivan asked, not showing the slightest inflection in his voice.  
Wendy flinched, knowing what would come next. "Y-yes," she stammered.  
"Good," Ivan replied. "Because I'm not here to talk about your job. I'm here to discuss a new policy for Team Rocket."  
Wendy was relieved at first, but with the fear for her job gone, she quickly became confused. "A new policy, sir?"  
"Yes," Ivan said, pulling up a chair next to her and lighting a cigarette. "I'm greatly upset with the way in which Team Rocket conducts itself. Robbing banks, ransacking houses and stores, stealing from children; these are not things that a powerful criminal organization such as us should be doing. So, as of this moment, all operations involving these activities are canceled. I also want all of the stolen pokemon to be returned."  
"Canceled?" Wendy blurted in astonishment, then coughed as she breathed Ivan's secondhand smoke. "Return the pokemon? But sir. . ."  
Ivan placed his gloved hand over her mouth, cutting her off. "No buts," he said. "These petty affairs are too risky for us. As long as they go on, the police will do their best to keep us under their control."  
"The police?" Wendy scoffed. "The police can't do anything to us."  
"What you don't realize," Ivan interrupted, "is that the police were planning to raid Team Rocket's headquarters and arrest everyone just last month. I was able to prevent it with some careful inside work. My men in the police department are the only thing that kept Team Rocket from being destroyed."  
Wendy stared at him, her mouth gaped open.  
"The police have been onto us for a long time," Ivan continued, unintentionally puffing smoke into her face. "That's why we need to throw them off. So, there will be no more these petty criminal activities. Our group will continue to operate its casinos and we will begin to capture and sell wild pokemon. These things can be conducted legally. When the police see that we have a legal source of income and that our illegal transactions have stopped, they will begin to ease off. And by returning the pokemon that have been stolen, it will appear as though our group has truly turned away from crime. No one will ever suspect Team Rocket's true objective."  
Wendy frowned, not sure what to say. Ivan was ordering her to spend hundreds of dollars to undo what they had spent thousands of dollars to do. What could he possibly be getting at?  
"What will be Team Rocket's true objective?" she asked.  
"Giovanni sought to rule the world," Ivan replied. "I share in that desire, but I am not so foolish as he. He wanted to do it by gathering strong pokemon and trainers and then making an intimidating show of brute force and coercing the world into surrender. This would never have worked. When you take something by force, you spend the rest of your life fighting just to keep it.  
"I have a different strategy in mind. We will allow the world to think that we are not a threat. Once we have lulled them into a false sense of security, then we will make our move. By putting members of our organization into important political positions around the world, or buying off those who already are, we will gain influence within the world's governments. Using that influence, we will begin to shape the world to our needs, making it more suitable for conquest. By the time anyone has figured out what we are doing, it will be too late. When the time comes, I will step in and overthrow the existing governments and place myself in control. By the end of the next twenty or so years, I will be on top of the world."  
Now Wendy understood Ivan's ideas. He was more subtle than the previous leader. She was very certain that his plan could work, except for one problem.  
"This will take a lot of time and money," she pointed out. "Where are you going to get the funding for this?"  
Ivan chuckled and shook his head, disappointed. "Do you still not know who you are talking to? With command of Team Rocket added to my resources, I now control almost seventy-five percent of the criminal underworld. With a bit of manipulation, I could have nearly half the money in the world placed in my hands. Funding is no problem at all. So, in cleaning out our criminal records, spare no expense. Spend any amount necessary. I have more than enough."  
Wendy was silent as she contemplated all she had heard. She was in the presence of possibly the most powerful man in the world. At last she understood whom she was working for. This was certainly going to be the start of a glorious future for Team Rocket. She could hardly contain her exhilaration at the thought of what she was going to be involved in.  
"I'll do as you command," she said. "Whatever it takes."  
"Good," Ivan replied. "Now, I want to show you something."  
Ivan reached into his inner coat pocket and removed a disc. He inserted it into the computer on Wendy's desk. When he opened the file, a picture of a strange pokemon that she had never seen appeared on the screen.  
"This is Mewtwo," Ivan explained. "It is a genetically enhanced clone of the legendary pokemon, Mew. It was created by Team Rocket to be the most powerful pokemon alive; however, it was too powerful for Giovanni to control and it escaped."  
"No," Wendy interrupted. "Team Rocket never created something like that."  
"Yes, it did," Ivan said. "When Mewtwo escaped, it erased all knowledge of its existence from the mind of every member who saw it. When I saw what was inevitably going to happen, I made a copy of all the files pertaining to the creature and saved them for myself.  
"I want this creature. Its power will be an invaluable asset to us. I want you to inform all members of Team Rocket in the field that they are to maintain a constant search for it. Tell them that the first person to see this creature who reports to me will receive a one hundred thousand dollar bonus on his next paycheck. Under no circumstances, however, is anyone to engage this pokemon in combat without me. Understood?"  
"Yes, sir," Wendy replied.  
"Good," Ivan said. "Well, if you'll excuse me."  
Ivan stood and turned toward the door. Before he left, Wendy stopped him.  
"It's about two members of our group, sir," she explained. "Their names are Jessie and James and they're a couple of incapable morons."  
Ivan's expression hardened to steel. "Incapable morons? Show me."  
Smiling inwardly, Wendy pulled up their file on the computer. Ivan read through it, taking particular concern to the list of failures on their record.  
"They've been chasing after the same little boy for almost three years now," Wendy told him. "They haven't been able to steal his one Pikachu in their entire career. Not only that, but they've borrowed a lot of money from us and haven't paid back any of it. Giovanni was going to fire them before you took over. I would suggest you do the same."  
Ivan was silent for a moment, sucking on his rapidly dwindling cigarette. "Nyet," he said at last. "I don't think I will."  
"What?" Wendy demanded. "But you. . ."  
"Silence," he commanded, filling the air with a thick cloud that made Wendy choke. "I didn't fire all those other members because they were incompetent. I did it because they were unable to give up their old ways and conform to our new policy. They were liabilities. If you have a personal grudge against these two, forget about it. They may have failed all this time, but they've kept on trying. I admire that kind of determination. I can certainly find good use for them. You will, however, need to inform them that they are no longer going to follow this boy. They are field operatives, and they are to capture wild pokemon for us to sell or keep as we see fit. And do it immediately." He extinguished his cigarette on her desk, leaving a black ashy mark, and tossed it into the trash. "Now, I must go; I am late for my next appointment. Good day!"  
The way he said 'good day,' moments before he stalked out of the office and slammed the door made Wendy's hair stand on end. It was so cold and ruthless. She found herself unable to move for a few minutes after he disappeared from sight. When she was sure he was gone, she angrily cleaned the ash off her desk and rushed to open a window.  
"Liabilities, huh?" she thought out loud. "Well, if that's the case, then I'll just have to make those idiots liabilities." Coughing heavily, she groaned and added, "Why did he have to light up in here!?"  
  
"Ash?" Mewtwo stammered in disbelief. "Is that really you?"  
"Hey, Mewtwo," Ash replied. "It's been a while."  
"You know him?" Shigure asked.  
"I do," Mewtwo said. "He's an old friend of mine."  
Shigure stared at Ash. "Wait, is he the one you told me about?"  
"He is," Mewtwo answered.  
Shigure laughed heartily. "It's a small world isn't it? I never would have expected to meet you."  
There was a moment of silence before anyone spoke again. Everyone was afraid to accept that what they were seeing was really true. It seemed too good, as though the slightest sound or movement might wake them from the dream. An earsplitting crack of thunder broke the silence, followed by Togepi squealing.  
"Hey, Mewtwo," Shigure started with a nervous chuckle, "why don't you entertain our guest while I go clean myself up."  
"Gladly," Mewtwo said.  
  
For what seemed to be an eternity, the only sound that could be heard was that of the shower running in the bathroom upstairs. Ash and his friends sat on the couch, while Mewtwo rested on the chair across from them, none of them having the slightest idea what to talk about.  
Mewtwo looked out the window at the pouring rain, which seemed to have no intention of letting up. Clearing his throat, Mewtwo rose to his feet and walked over to the fireplace.  
"How about a fire," he said uneasily, putting some logs into it. "That always seems to make a rainy day seem better."  
"Yeah," Ash agreed.  
Getting up from the couch, he began to help Mewtwo. He put some old newspaper and kindling into it. With a twitch of his brow, Mewtwo caused the paper to light up and in moments, a fire was roaring in the pit.  
"That's better," Ash said.  
"Much more comfy," Misty agreed.  
Mewtwo and Ash returned to their seats. After another moment, Brock spoke up.  
"So, how did you end up here?" he asked Mewtwo.  
Mewtwo sighed. He looked out the window again.  
"After I escaped from Team Rocket and we went our separate ways," Mewtwo began, "I decided to explore the world for myself. During the night, I traveled from place to place, seeing whatever there was to see. It was peaceful for a while, but after a few months, some men found me and tried to capture me. I escaped them, but they continued to chase me. No matter where I ran, they always found me."  
"Couldn't you fight them?" Ash asked.  
"Or erase their memories?" Misty added.  
"I tried both," Mewtwo replied. "They wore headgear that protected them from my mental abilities. As for fighting them, not only did they have powerful weapons and equipment, but they also had very strong pokemon."  
"They couldn't have been stronger than you," Ash stated.  
"No," Mewtwo admitted, "but they were stronger than any others that I had ever seen before. I managed to elude them for three months, but then, one of them hit me with some kind of poisoned dart. I was able to loose them after that. I'm not sure how, the poison clouded my head too much then. Somehow I managed to drag myself all the way to this town, unaware of where I was or what I was doing. I collapsed in a ditch and that was the last thing I remembered before I woke up here."  
Upstairs, they heard the shower stop. Mewtwo smiled, stroked the Flareon's head and continued.  
"It was Felix here who found me, unconscious and half-dead. He led Shigure to me, who took me to his home and nursed me back to health. I've been here ever since.  
"While I survived, the poison left side affects. I've lost almost a quarter of my psychic strength and every time I exert myself too much, I have blackouts and seizures. Because of that, I can't risk leaving this town."  
"That's terrible," Misty commented.  
"Yeah," Brock agreed. "Who were those guys?"  
"I don't know," Mewtwo said. "They didn't have anything that I could identify them by. It's not so bad, though. If they hadn't been chasing me, I never would have met Shigure. That would have been the real tragedy. Shigure has not only become my best friend, but he's shown me a new reason for living. My time here, though darkened by pain, has been the happiest time that I have ever seen."  
"I'm glad to hear that," Ash said.  
  
A few minutes later, Shigure came down the stairs into the main room, Sparky following close behind him. He was wearing a traditional men's kimono and at his left hip hung a katana. He smiled as he sat down on the floor next to Mewtwo.  
"So, what have you been talking about?" he asked.  
"Not much," Mewtwo replied. "I was just explaining how I came to be here."  
"I see," Shigure said. "Well, Ash, from what Mewtwo has told me, you must be a good trainer."  
Ash smiled. "Yeah, I'm pretty good."  
Shigure chuckled.  
"What?" Ash asked.  
"The way you responded," Shigure explained. "Not to big on humility are you?"  
Ash leaned back. "What's that have to do with anything?"  
Shigure smiled as he looked over at Mewtwo and then back to Ash. "It's just a principle really. I've always been that way and so have most of my friends. It sounds a little funny hearing the way you said it."  
Ash nodded. "What about you? You must be pretty good yourself."  
"Some people think so," Shigure responded.  
"How about a match then?" Ash asked.  
"My, aren't we in a hurry," Shigure said, smiling. "I was going to ask you anyway, though. I wanted to see the way you train your pokemon. Come with me."  
Shigure rose from his chair and started off down the hallway. Ash and the others followed. Along the way, they noticed a number of portraits and sketches hanging on the wall. Some were of people, some were of pokemon and others were landscapes. Most were drawn in pencil, but some were painted. Ash made mental a note to ask who drew them after the battle.  
Shigure led them to a large training room, where a Hitmonchan was viciously attacking a punching bag. When it saw Shigure, it paused to give him a thumbs up, then continued its exercising.  
"Good work, Rocky," Shigure said. "Keep it up."  
Ash watched the Hitmonchan hammer the punching bag as it delivered punch after punch, almost too fast for him to see. With each hit, the bag looked as though it might snap off of its base.  
"Not bad," he commented.  
Shigure cleared his throat, calling attention to the battle arena. Ash took his place at the other side of the arena, while Misty and Brock sat down on a bench off to the side.  
"We'll keep it simple," Shigure explained. "One-on-one, with standard pokemon league rules. Sparky will fight for me."  
Sparky stepped into the center of the arena.  
"Pikachu will be my choice," Ash replied.  
Pikachu stepped into the arena and stood before Sparky. There was a brief pause while the two pokemon sized each other up. A smile tugged at the corner of Shigure's mouth.  
"Begin," he said.  
"Pikachu!" Ash ordered, "Thunderbolt!"  
Electricity crackled around Pikachu's body as it hopped back away from its opponent, preparing for its attack. With a fierce "CHU!" it channeled the electricity toward Sparky. The bolt struck the Raichu directly, forcing it to take a step back as thousands of volts of electricity raced through its body. Flexing its muscles, Sparky shook off the attack.  
"Tackle it!" Ash commanded.  
Pikachu charged forward and dived at Sparky. Reaching forward, Sparky grabbed Pikachu by the ears, twirled it around and threw it aside. Twisting in the air, Pikachu was able to land on its feet.  
"Thunder!" Shigure ordered.  
Raising its tail into the air, Sparky began to gather energy around it into its body. Everyone in the room could feel their hair rising on their heads as it prepared to attack. In a massive flash of light, Sparky released all of the power. Ash had to turn away from the blinding explosion of electricity. When he looked back, he saw his Pikachu was shaken by the bolt, but able to stand.  
"Can you keep going Pikachu?" he asked.  
"Pika!" it affirmed.  
Shigure was clearly impressed, but maintained his focus on the battle as he quickly calculated his next move.  
"I don't think we can win that way, Sparky," he noted. "Let's show him our surprise attack."  
"Rai!"  
Sparky tensed up. Its tail wriggled in the air, coiling about like a snake. Ash could see by its focused gaze that it was preparing for a powerful attack. He knew that he had to make the first move.  
"Pikachu, quick attack!" he shouted.  
Pikachu leapt forward, ready to strike its opponent.  
"Wait for it!" Shigure warned.  
Pikachu leapt forward again, drawing closer to its target. Shigure's eyes narrowed as he held off his attack. Sparky's tail coiled up again. Pikachu leapt closer again, landing less then a foot away. It lowered its head and prepared for impact.  
"NOW!" Shigure commanded.  
Sparky leaned back on its tail and pushed with all its strength, springing itself into the air. Pikachu sailed harmlessly beneath it.  
"Follow up with mega-kick," Shigure ordered.  
Pikachu barely had time to turn its head to look before Sparky landed on its coiled tail and bounced toward it at incredible speed. Sparky drove its foot into Pikachu's chest, using its inertia to launch it from the ring. Pikachu crashed headfirst into the wall and fell to the ground with a painful cry. Ash ran to his fallen friend and cradled it in his arms.  
"Are you okay?" he asked.  
"Pika-pi," it moaned painfully.  
Shigure knelt down beside them and gently felt its head.  
"Your Pikachu will be alright," he said. "A little rest and some food and he'll be just fine."  
Carefully holding Pikachu, Ash extended his hand. Shigure accepted it and shook it.  
"I guess you are the better trainer," Ash admitted. "I figured you would be."  
Shigure shook his head. "Not necessarily," he said. "It can't be denied that I've more experience than you, but I've no doubt that when you've been at this for as long as I have, you'll be just as good as me. Maybe better."  
"Really?" Ash asked, his face glowing with pride.  
Shigure nodded. "I've seen a lot of trainers who thought they were good, but none of them were able to stand up to Sparky's thunder attack like your Pikachu. The only one that didn't faint on the spot was Bruno's giant Onyx, but it was still left paralyzed for hours afterward. I don't know what you're doing, but your doing it right. Keep it up."  
"Thank you," Ash said, a broad smile on his face.  
Brock rose from the bench and walked over to Ash. "That's quite a compliment," he noted.  
"Yeah," Misty agreed. "It makes me wonder if you're really the same person I've been traveling with all this time."  
"What's that mean?" Ash demanded.  
"Just that you've never shown any kind of real skill before," Misty teasingly replied. "I can't believe that someone could say that about you."  
"Oh, yeah!?"  
Shigure watched with a mixture of confusion and amusement as the two argued. After a moment, he began to laugh, abruptly ending the bickering.  
"Who's hungry?" he asked. 


	4. Shigure

4 Shigure  
The sun had already begun to set behind the eastern horizon by the time the battle had ended. Though the thunder and lightning had quit, the rain continued to fall from the clouds, creating a sort of rhythm as it drummed against the windows.  
Ash, Misty and Mewtwo sat in the living room, chatting pleasantly, while Pikachu, Togepi and Sparky played with each other. In the corner of the room, Phoebe was engaged in some activity and refused to let anyone watch, but would occasionally glance at Ash and Misty. Brock was in the kitchen with Shigure, working on the meal. It wasn't long before the mouth- watering scent of fish, vegetables and various spices filled the air.  
"Hey," Shigure called, poking his head through the doorway, "Ash, Misty, would you mind setting the table for us?"  
"No problem," Misty replied.  
"Great," Shigure said. "Plates and silverware are in the cabinet in the dining room."  
"I'll go feed the others," Mewtwo offered, rising from his chair.  
"Thanks," Shigure replied, appreciatively.  
  
Ten minutes later, everyone was kneeling around the small dining room table, waiting for the food. Shigure entered the room carrying a large bowl of noodles and a platter of fish and vegetables into the room and set it on the table, then rushed back into the kitchen for the fried rice as Brock brought in a tray of fresh, steaming hot rolls. Once all the food was brought in, they each served themselves a bit of everything.  
"Wow!" Misty commented as she started on the noodles. "This is really good."  
"Thank you," Shigure replied. "I do my best."  
They feasted, all the while conversing on any subject that would come up, which was everything from Brock asking what Shigure fed his pokemon, to Ash telling bad jokes. The only one who was not present at the table, was Phoebe, who remained ardently absorbed in her activity.  
"So, Shigure," Ash asked as he chomped into one of the rolls, "do you have any training tips you could give me."  
Tipping his bowl up toward his mouth, Shigure used the tips of his chopsticks to scoop the last bit of noodles into his mouth. He took a moment to chew and swallow before answering.  
"Actually," he replied, "I believe I do."  
He put his bowl aside and took a sip of his tea. After setting down his cup, he continued.  
"There are three things to remember about training," he said, holding up three fingers. "The first is one you already know of. That is simply to love your pokemon. A lot of people don't realize how important this is. All pokemon seek friendship with their trainers, so if you aren't even friends with your pokemon, then they have no motivation to help you. Pokemon who respect their trainers will always be willing to do more than those that are forced to obey.  
"The second rule is a fighting tip. Timing is everything. That attack that beat you would have been useless if I hadn't timed it just right. Too soon and your Pikachu would've been able to avoid it. Too late and Pikachu's attack would have hit first. Either one of those could have meant my defeat instead of yours. With good timing, however, I was able to give the command in just enough time for Sparky to pull it off without giving Pikachu the time he needed to break off his attack to dodge.  
"The third rule, always remain humble. Humility is a powerful defense in a battle because it keeps you from making two mistakes; overestimating yourself and underestimating your opponent. It is a good idea to treat every opponent as if they were better than you, otherwise, a boy with no particular skill or experience can easily best you. If you can keep a hold of your pride, then you will always have a chance of success, no matter who you face."  
As Shigure finished off the last of his tea, Ash sat in contemplation for a moment. To him, Shigure seemed to be one of the wisest people alive. Now, he knew of some new things to improve on and he hoped that Misty wasn't going to ruin the moment by rubbing it in. He was relieved, and more than a little surprised, when she didn't.  
"I'll remember that," he said after the moment had passed. "Thanks."  
"You're welcome," Shigure replied. "Who want's dessert? I think I have some ice cream in the freezer."  
By now, everyone had finished the main course of the meal and eagerly agreed. As Shigure rose from his seat to get the dessert, Phoebe came into the room, skipping blithely and holding a piece of paper in her hands. Her face was bubbling over with joy as she held it out to Shigure.  
"What's this?" he asked as he reached into his pocket for his reading glasses. "Oh my! This is really good, Phoebe. Come and look at this," he said to the others.  
The others walked over to Shigure and looked at the paper. Ash was surprised to see a very detailed sketch of himself sitting next Misty on the couch.  
"Did Phoebe draw this?" Misty asked.  
"Yes," Shigure said, hugging his Clefairy. "She's so talented. I can't understand why her previous trainer would even think of abandoning such a uniquely gifted pokemon as her. You're so wonderful," he cooed, caressing Phoebe's head lovingly.  
"Clefairy," Phoebe replied, blushing a little.  
With that, Phoebe began to dance about like a tiny ballerina, singing gleefully in her harp-like voice. She hopped onto the table, grabbed a plate and made herself a serving of food.  
"Did she do all of the pictures we saw in the hallway?" Ash asked.  
"With the exception of the two by Monet," Shigure replied, "every single one of them. When I travel on business, I often take her with me. Every time she sees something that she likes, she will take sheet of paper and sketch or paint it. People tend to ignore the best abilities that pokemon have because they can't be used for fighting. I, however, encourage them to use any of the talents they have. There's a lot more to them than the immediately obvious, but it's hard for people to see that sometimes."  
Suddenly, Shigure remembered what he had been about to do. "The ice cream," he said, rushing off to the kitchen.  
Ash smiled as he watched him. "He really is a great man," he stated. Turning to Mewtwo, he added, "I can see why you've been so happy here."  
Mewtwo smiled and nodded. "There are few people in this world like him. You could search your entire life and not ever find another person so kind as him."  
Ash nodded. At the same moment, Brock, who had been looking at the sketch, spoke up.  
"Hey, Ash," he slyly remarked, "did you know that you and Misty make a cute couple?"  
"What?" the two of them demanded in unison.  
"Cute couple?" Ash laughed.  
"Don't be ridiculous," Misty added.  
When Shigure came back into the room with ice cream, the three of them were in a very heated argument. He hesitated, then beckoned toward Mewtwo.  
"What are they fighting over now?" he asked when Mewtwo was within earshot.  
"Brock thinks that those two look cute together," Mewtwo replied.  
Shigure looked at the two of them, nodding. "I agree. You want to eat while they work this out?"  
For he next five minutes, Shigure and Mewtwo enjoyed their dessert while the other three resolved their disagreement. When they were finally finished debating with each other, they each sat down at the table. Ash and Misty took the two chairs that were farthest apart without facing each other and obstinately refused to acknowledge the other's presence. For another five minutes, nobody said a single word, each person brooding with his own thoughts.  
"Is it true what they say," Ash asked Shigure at length, finally breaking the hostile silence.  
"That depends," Shigure replied. "Who are 'they'?"  
"Everyone," Ash replied.  
"Everyone, eh?" Shigure repeated with amazement. "You hear that, Mewtwo? 'Everyone' talks about me. I must be famous."  
Ash couldn't tell by his response if Shigure was being serious or if he was joking. He remembered the way the woman in the village had reacted when she heard the same thing and wondered if what he'd been told was just gossip.  
"What do they say about me?" Shigure asked.  
"They say that you've seen every pokemon that we know exists," Ash said. "Is it true?"  
Shigure chuckled. "I believe that's just a rumor," he said, then his hand went to his chin in thought. "No, wait." He began to mumble to himself and Ash heard him whisper the names of several rare pokemon. "I hadn't thought about it until you brought it up," he concluded finally with a reflective nod, "but I think so. Mind you, some of them were only chance glimpses, but if that's acceptable, then yes, I have."  
The others stared at him with their jaws dropped.  
"That's incredible," Brock said.  
Shigure shrugged nonchalantly. "What's so incredible about that? It just means that I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. There is nothing great about that, is there?"  
Ash couldn't believe what he was hearing. Shigure was saying that what he had done had no meaning. "How can you say that?" he demanded. "Do you realize that you're the most famous man alive?"  
Shigure held up one finger and replied with Solomon-like profoundness, "Exactly."  
Apparently, he thought he had just revealed the mysteries of the universe to them, for he said nothing else, gave no explanation. There was a brief pause as the three companions tried to decipher the riddle.  
"If you're trying to make a point," Brock said, "I'm afraid that it's gone way over my head."  
"Repeat what you just told me, Ash," Shigure requested.  
Ash was confused, "You're the most famous man alive," he repeated perplexedly.  
"Who did you say was famous?" Shigure asked.  
"You," said Ash, still not sure what he meant.  
"That is the point," Shigure explained. "I'm famous. I suppose that that's nothing to scoff at, but I must ask you one thing. Who, besides myself, gains from my fame?"  
The others were quiet.  
"Nobody, really," Misty concluded.  
"That is why I don't think too highly of it," Shigure said. "Being known around the world for something is quite an acclaim, but if having seen a bunch of pokemon is all that I am recognized for, then it really doesn't matter to me."  
Ash was still a little confused by his outlook on his distinction. If being famous for seeing every pokemon in the world wasn't important, then what was? He decided to ask. When he heard the question, Shigure leaned back in his chair and stared absently at the ceiling. The atmosphere of the room immediately changed, became instantly solemn. The change was so radical that even Ash could feel it. For a moment, he wondered if it was Mewtwo, using his psychic powers to bring a respectful feeling into the room. When he looked, however, he saw that Mewtwo was just as awed at the rest of them. He waited, listening intently, for the host to speak.  
"When I was six," he began, "both of my parents died. One night, there was an electrical fire and my entire house went up in flames. I survived, but only because my parents made sure of it. In all the confusion, I only remember my father handing me to the fireman and pleading for him to take me out. The moment I escaped, the porch collapsed, sealing my parents inside the smoldering wreckage."  
In the light, his eyes sparkled with gathering moisture. "I was sent to live with my uncle and aunt. They loved me just as much as my parents and my childhood was safe and secure, but the loss of my parents left a heavy scar on my mind. It was years before I stopped crying in my sleep; although, I believe there are times that I still do. That kind of grief is a hard thing to live with, but it did help me to realize what I needed to do with my life."  
Shigure untied the string that connected the katana to his sash and held it out to Ash. Respectfully taking the sword, he drew it from its sheath and carefully examined it. He lightly rubbed his forefinger against the blade. With a sharp gasp, he drew his hand away, blood dripping from the open cut on his finger.  
"It's sharp," he stated as he handed the weapon back.  
Shigure nodded as he replaced it on his weapon. "That sword is more than just a weapon. It is a symbol, a symbol of noble ancestry. It is the symbol of the samurai. In these modern days, however, men are not born to honor, they must earn it. My parents earned it when they sacrificed themselves to save me and that put a responsibility upon me to live for them. It was my duty as the sole survivor of my family to ensure that the sacrifice made for me was not in vain, that my parents did not waste their lives. Everything I have done since then has been bent on that one goal."  
"What have you done since then?" Brock asked.  
Shigure smiled. "I got a job as an executive for an oil company and eventually worked my way up until the head of the company made me his partner. In my position, I had a lot of extra money. With that money, I built schools and hospitals, funded charities and service projects; anything that I could to help others. Wherever I went, for business or for pleasure, I gave up every cent that I could offer to those in need. For my services, I have been offered numerous awards. All of it combined does not carry the weight of the thanks of a single homeless child; the joy in his eye when I can tell him that he no longer has to live on the streets, without food or cloths or shelter. That is all I need to be happy, nothing else matters. That is how I see to it that my parents did not die in vain.  
Shigure paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. "Though it is certainly worth the effort, the path of honor isn't always easy. Traveling on it has begun to take its toll on me, and I have begun to feel the need to settle down from my busy lifestyle. Years ago, I yielded my position as head of my company to be just an executive so that I could more easily work from home and moved to this town, where I could away from the hassles of the big cities. I have stopped traveling as much as I used to. I need some time away from all my work, more time to be with my family." He patted Sparky on the head. "Still, I give all that I can. In my spare time, I often go down into the town and help them on their farm and currently all the extra money that I don't need is going to AIDS and cancer research and I also plan to set up a shelter for abandoned pokemon. I have lived my life to the fullest that I have been able to and I have no regrets. If I could do it all again, I would in a heartbeat."  
In that moment, as he contemplated the wisdom that had been shared, there was no person that Ash admired more than Maruyama Shigure. He knew that he would probably never meet another man so altruistic as him and was glad he had come. If he lived for a hundred years, he was sure that he could never forget this day. 


	5. Tension

5 Tension  
It was not long before fatigue began to take hold of everyone. As late as it was, Shigure offered his guests a room for the night. That night, Ash fell asleep with his thoughts still dwelling on what he had been told. When sunlight crept through the window the next morning, it fell on his face, waking him. He groggily sat up, stretched and yawned. It was then that he became aware of the fact that there was no one else in the room with him. Even Pikachu was gone.  
He quickly got out of bed and dressed himself for the day and went out to search for his friends. He found them all downstairs in the dinning room, eating breakfast.  
"How long have you all been up?" he asked.  
"Not long," Brock replied. "Probably ten minutes."  
Ash quickly sat down and helped himself to the eggs and juice. Shortly after he began to eat, he noticed that Shigure was wearing his work cloths again.  
"Are you going to the farm?" he asked.  
Shigure nodded. "I like to spend my time helping them. It gives me something to do."  
"Could we join you?" Ash asked.  
Shigure looked at him, confused. "I don't see why not if that is what you wish. You don't have anything else you need to do, do you?"  
"We were planning on. . ." Brock began.  
"Nothing important," Ash replied, cutting him off.  
Brock and Misty were both shocked into silence, unable to believe what they had just heard.  
"Very well then," Shigure said, "you may come along, but I warn you, it's hard work."  
"If a sixty-seven-year-old man can handle it," Mewtwo commented as he entered the room, "then I'm sure they can too."  
Shigure groaned and rolled his eyes. "That's really not fair," he grumbled. "I'm not going to be sixty-seven for another two weeks. But you're right. He's fit boy, he should be able to deal with it."  
"You've never seen Ash work before," Misty cut in. She hesitated as she took a moment to think. "Now that I think about it, I've never seen Ash work before either."  
The others laughed and Ash was left to shrug his shoulders.  
"I'm pretty sure that I can manage," Ash said as the laughter died down. "Besides, I want to help."  
Again, Brock and Misty were left completely without words. Misty recovered her knife-edged tongue first.  
"Who are you?" she demanded sarcastically. "Where's the real Ash?"  
Once again, the group had a good laugh at Ash's expense, though this time, Ash laughed with them.  
After breakfast was finished, they left the house and started down the long trail to the town. The hike back down went much faster than the climb up. Ash refrained from complaining as they made the descent, which inspired another sarcastic remark from Misty. Ash didn't say anything out loud at the time, but he silently agreed with her. Although he had never been above helping others, if they needed it, it wasn't like him to want to help with labor like farm work, unless, of course, it was to compete with his rival, Gary. He wasn't sure why he did, he only knew that something told him it was something he needed to do.  
Halfway down the trail, he began to wonder if Misty wasn't right. Perhaps Phoebe had somehow called the Clefairy spaceship and had the other Clefairies implant a mind-control device in his head. The idea was so absurd that from the moment he thought of it, he couldn't help but laugh out loud. The others found it just as funny after he explained it to them.  
Around nine o'clock, they reached the bottom of the mountain. From there, Shigure led the group to the farm, where they found three of the townsmen crowded around a small tractor. They looked upset about something, but seemed to cheer up when Shigure arrived.  
"I've brought some extra help today," Shigure informed. "What's the problem, Ben?"  
One of the farmers sighed, scratching his red-haired head. "It's the tractor," he explained. "It's broke down again."  
"Oh, no," Shigure groaned as he climbed up onto it to look at the engine. "Can you find the problem?"  
"No," a stocky, blond farmer replied. "The engine just shut off this morning."  
Shigure climbed off the tractor, shaking his head. "Not good," he concluded. "It will probably be in the shop for a few weeks."  
The farmers were not pleased with the assessment. "We can't wait that long," the tall, dark-haired farmer complained. "We have to get the field plowed by tomorrow or we'll never get our crops planted in time. It will take too long by hand."  
"I think I can help," Ash interrupted, causing everyone to look over to him. "If you unhook the plow from the tractor, Beyleaf can pull it."  
The farmers took a moment to discuss the option. "That could work," the one named Ben agreed. "Do you think your pokemon can pull it?"  
Ash reached for a pokeball hanging on his vest and opened it, releasing Beyleaf. The grass pokemon lazily stretched its long neck and then turned to Ash obediently.  
"We're giving the farmers a hand today," Ash explained. "Do you think you can help them plow the field?"  
"Bey!" Beyleaf affirmed.  
Ash smiled. "Looks like you have your solution," he said.  
Introductions were made before anything else was done. Benjamin was the owner of the farm, Trevor and Glendon were his partners. The three of were responsible for making sure that everything on the farm was working properly. When the tractor had broken down, they had been worried that they would fall behind on their work and they were grateful to have Ash's assistance.  
After Beyleaf was harnessed to the plow, it was led to the first field, where Trevor explained how the field needed to be done. Ash guided Beyleaf at first, but after the first field was done, it was able to handle the job on its own, which left Ash free to help the farmers with the planting. As he moved down the rows, he would dig a small hole, place a seed into it and move on, then Pikachu would bury the seed.  
By about noon, the sun was searing on the back of his neck. Beads of sweat rolled down out of his hair, into his eyes and mouth. He stopped to wipe it away, then removed his cap and wrung the sweat out of it. As he put it back on, he saw Mewtwo coming toward him. He straightened up, which made his back ache from its stiffness.  
"You may want to use this," Mewtwo offered, holding out a bottle of sun block.  
Ash thanked him as he quickly rubbed the cream on his arms, neck and face.  
"It's hard work," Ash commented. "Do they do this every day?"  
Mewtwo shook his head. "This is just the planting season work," he explained. "Once they get the fields sown, they have to constantly weed it, fertilize it and spray it. Then fall comes and they have to harvest all the crops and clean them. Not to mention the livestock that needs to be fed and taken care of, pruning the orchards and occasional repairs to the farm itself. It's a year long process that's pretty much all day, every day."  
Ash took a deep breath. "That's a lot of hard work," he said.  
"It is," Mewtwo replied. "You know, this farm supports the whole town."  
"Really?"  
"Yes. The crops are mostly used to feed the people and anything excess is sold in the next city to buy other necessities. Shigure also helps out when they have troubles, like the tractor."  
Ash smiled as he continued planting. "He really does do everything, doesn't he?"  
  
By two o'clock, all the fields had been plowed and half of them were planted. All of the men over the age of fifteen and some of the women from the town had come to help and the work was already ahead of schedule. Despite the pains he felt from the hard labor he wasn't used to, Ash felt good about what he was doing. The thought that he had kept the town from falling behind made him feel cheerful. He didn't even notice that he was hungry until he heard a loud bell that signaled lunch.  
Lunch consisted of various kinds of sandwiches that the women had spent the previous half-hour making. While they ate, Shigure shared stories of his travels around the world and some of the pokemon he had seen and people he had met.  
The break only lasted an hour, and it seemed to go by much faster than Ash and his friends needed. Not wanting to seem lazy, they prepared to go back to work with the rest of them. As they started back toward the fields, a dark shadow was cast over them. Everyone turned toward the source of the shadow and saw a hot air balloon. To the dismay of Ash and his friends, they saw the balloon was shaped like a Meowth. Ash gave a exasperated sigh as it began to descend toward the farm.  
"I don't know why you stopped here," came Jessie's voice, "or what brought you to this town in the first place."  
"But we're certainly glad you did," followed James' voice. "It gave us time to catch up."  
"Prepare for trouble." Jessie leaned over the side of the basket.  
"Make it double." James appeared beside her.  
"To protect the world from devastation."  
"To unite all peoples within our nation."  
"To denounce the evils of truth and love."  
"To extend our reach to the stars above.  
Jessie leapt from the balloon, landing on the roof of the farmhouse. "Jessie."  
James leapt down from the balloon, landing next to Jessie. "James."  
"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light."  
"Surrender now, or prepare to fight."  
Meowth landed in the middle of them. "That's right!"  
At that point the three of them posed in ridiculous positions. From the ground below, everyone stared at them, some with annoyance, some with fear, but most just with confusion.  
"What in the world was that about?" Shigure asked.  
Ash groaned. "It's their motto," he explained. "They think it's cool or something."  
"Do they always do that?" Ben asked in a baffled tone.  
Ash and his friends all nodded in unison. "Every time."  
"That's irritating," Trevor commented. "How do you deal with that?"  
"It's like a head cold," Misty said. "You just gotta take some aspirin and wait it out."  
From the roof, the Team Rocket Trio realized that no one was paying any attention to them at all. Jessie was infuriated. How dare they ignore them!? They were Team Rocket, the most evil organization in the world.  
"Hey!" she shouted. "Don't just blow us off!"  
The farmers turned toward them, irritated expressions on all of their faces. The trio was taken aback by the sight of all the angry glares.  
"Excuse me," Ben yelled back, "we're trying to have a conversation here. It's very rude to interrupt."  
Enraged, Jessie grabbed a pokeball from her pocket. "Rude?" she growled. "How's this for rude?"  
She threw the ball to the ground, releasing Arbok. Hissing angrily, the cobra coiled up and inflated its crest. Everyone near it backed away. Jessie ordered her snake to attack. Arbok coiled, drew its head back and struck at Glendon, who was standing closest to it at the time. Grabbing the only thing at hand, he knocked it aside with a shovel.  
"Poison sting!" Jessie ordered.  
With an angry hiss, Arbok released a stream of venomous needles from its throat. Glendon held up his shovel, just barely stopping the attack from striking him. As Arbok prepared to strike, Sparky stepped in front of it. Sparky shook its head, then hit its own chest with its right paw. Arbok hissed as it reared back, coiling up for another strike. Its eyes narrowed as it focused on its target, its tongue slithering out of its mouth with a menacing hiss. Then, it struck with lightning speed, its fangs bared and dripping with venom.  
Sparky smiled, then leapt up above Arbok as its mouth bit down where Sparky had been moments ago. In its surprise, Arbok had no time to react, and Sparky came down, bashing it on the head with its foot and driving its face into the ground. Landing beside Arbok, Sparky wrapped his tail around the cobra and unleashed a bolt of electricity. Arbok writhed in pain as it struggled to escape, then fell unconscious, still twitching from the shock.  
  
"Don't think it's that easy," James yelled. "Go, Victreebell!"  
As usual, James realized his mistake too late. With a piercing shriek, the flytrap pokemon leapt at him, wrapping its vines around James' body. Off balance from the sudden weight hanging from him, James fell back and rolled off of the roof, dropping his pokeball and landing hard on a bale of hay.  
While her partner wrestled with his own pokemon, Jessie reached for the pokeball James had dropped. At the exact moment, Wobbufett popped up next to her, nearly knocking her from the roof as well. With a frustrated cry, Jessie pushed it aside and grabbed her other pokeball. She opened it and Weezing appeared.  
"Sludge!" Jessie commanded.  
Weezing began to spew out blobs of foul-smelling black ooze. The townspeople ran about in an effort to evade the corroding slime that killed the grass on impact.  
"Beyleaf," Ash called as the chaos erupted.  
Beyleaf dashed in to confront the filthy creature attacking them. When Weezing saw its opponent, it sucked in a deep breath and spewed out a thick cloud of green vapors. Ash covered his face with his vest to keep from breathing the fumes.  
"Vine whip!" he commanded.  
"Bey!"  
Two vines sprouted out from Beyleaf's neck. Weezing tried to escape, but couldn't dodge the lashings of Beyleaf's attack and took several direct hits. In a daze, it began to slowly sink to the ground.  
"Finish it off with razor leaf," Ash ordered.  
With a flick of its neck, Beyleaf launched several leaves from the growth on its forehead. The first two struck it directly in the face and knocked it to the ground; however, two others missed and shot directly toward the Team Rocket Trio.  
James, who had finally managed to force Victreebell back into its ball, was just barely climbing back on top of the house when one of the leaves whizzed past his head. Startled, he lost his balance and rolled down the roof again, catching himself just before he toppled over the side. The other leaf spiraled toward Wobbufett. With a surprised shout, it dropped flat on its stomach allowing the attack to fly harmlessly by.  
As it flew through the air, a gust rose up and caught the attack. The razor leaf arced through the air and went directly through the balloon.  
"Look!" Meowth cried, pointing.  
The crowd watched as the balloon rapidly plummeted toward the ground, colliding with the grain silo halfway down. As it grated against the silo, one of the propane tanks struck against the tin wall of the structure, snapping its valve off. With a dull boom, the fuel tank burst into flames, consuming the basket. The force of the blast caused the other tanks to rupture and the gas combusted.  
The magnitude of the explosion popped the rivets from the silo's base. A groan of twisting metal screeched from it as the silo tilted slightly. For a moment, it seemed to resist the fall, then, with a harsh crack, the support beams snapped like toothpicks under its immense weight and the entire structure toppled over.  
Benjamin, who had been trying to escape Weezing's toxic sludge, was now standing directly beneath the silo as it came crashing down toward him. In fright, he tried to turn and run, but his foot got caught in a gopher hole and he tripped, twisting his ankle. He looked up and saw the heavy metal building coming down on him and screamed.  
Moments before the silo crushed him beneath its immense weight, it stopped falling. It hung suspended in the air, held up by an unseen force.  
Shigure looked toward the farmhouse and saw Mewtwo, his hand outstretched, the vein on his forehead bulging out as blood surged through it. He was using his psychic power to keep the silo from falling on Benjamin. Ash noticed, however, that Mewtwo seemed to be struggling to hold it up.  
"NO!" Shigure cried in horror.  
Jessie and James also saw Mewtwo fighting to save the farmer. It took them a moment to recognize it.  
"That's the pokemon everyone's looking for," James noted. "Ivan's giving a fortune to anyone who finds it."  
"Mewtwo," Meowth said. "I think that's what he called it. Let's go call the boss."  
Without a word, the trio fled from the scene.  
Their discretion was unnecessary, however. No one was taking any notice of them anymore. Most of the farmers had run to help Benjamin. Carefully, Trevor plucked his foot out of the hole and then he and three other farmers dragged him to safety. Within moments after, the silo came crashing down, expelling shards of metal into the air as it dashed against the ground.  
"He's safe," Misty said with a sigh of relief. Turning to the others she shouted, "We're okay now."  
She gasped when she saw Mewtwo and realized that she had spoken to soon. His body was glistening with moisture. Perspiration was pouring rapidly from his forehead, arms and legs. His chest was jerking from his irregular breathing. He took a staggering, labored step forward, then wailed in anguish, clutching his chest with both hands. Shigure and Ash rushed to him.  
"What's wrong with him?" Ash asked urgently.  
Shigure was too preoccupied to notice. He took a hold of Mewtwo by the shoulders and tried to hold him up.  
"Breath!" he demanded. "Come on! Breath! Deep breath!"  
Mewtwo struggled to take a solid breath of oxygen, then slowly exhaled. Shigure continued to encourage him for a few moments. Suddenly, he gasped sharply. Ash watched in horror as Mewtwo's pupils shrank and his gaze lost its focus. Then, his whole body jerked back and he fell to the ground. He thrashed violently about on the ground, saliva lathering around his mouth into disgusting foam.  
"Oh, no!" Shigure cried. "He's having a seizure!"  
"What should we do?" Ash asked.  
"Hold him down," Shigure instructed.  
As Ash and Brock grasped onto Mewtwo's arms and tried to keep him still, Shigure reached into his shirt pocket. He removed a pokeball and opened it, releasing the largest Pigeot Ash had ever seen, although he was too afraid to be impressed at that moment.  
"Help me!" Shigure ordered. "If he doesn't get the medicine back at my home, he'll go into cardiac arrest."  
Shigure, Ash and Brock carefully lifted Mewtwo up onto the Pigeot's back. Shigure and Ash climbed on after that. Ash held Mewtwo, kept him from struggling and falling off, while Shigure leaned next to the Pigeot's head.  
"Home, Skie!" he ordered. "Fast!"  
With a loud, crowing caw Pigeot stretched out its wings and began to flap, massive gusts of wind blowing from each flap. As it started to lift off the ground, Sparky leapt up and clutched onto the Skie's leg. Continuing to rise, Skie caught a thermal updraft beneath its wings and soared away, toward Shigure's home.  
It took two minutes to fly to the house. Mewtwo had stopped thrashing so ferociously, but was still trembling and drooling and his breathing was still erratic. Ash and Shigure carried him into the house. Inside, Shigure called for Phoebe and instructed her to set up a bed in the infirmary and prepare the medical equipment. The Clefairy rushed on ahead of them while the others struggled to heave Mewtwo up the stairs.  
When they finally got him into the infirmary, Shigure laid Mewtwo out on the bed and strapped him in. Ash stepped away and watched, terrified for his friend, as Phoebe hooked him up to the heart monitor, then placed an oxygen mask over his face and turned it on. Shigure opened up the medical cabinet and searched desperately through the numerous bottles of medicines.  
He found the correct bottle, grabbed a syringe, filled it with the clear fluid, then pressed the end of it to clear out any air bubbles. Phoebe helped him hold Mewtwo's arm steady while he prepared to inject it. There was a slight hesitation as Shigure tried to find the vein in Mewtwo's wrist. With a quick jab, he sank the needle into Mewtwo's arm, injected the fluid and pulled it back out.  
Almost immediately, Mewtwo stopped twitching. His body relaxed momentarily, then he suddenly gasped sharply. The steady beeping of the heart monitor became a dull, sustained tone.  
At Shigure's command, Sparky came running into the room, laid its tail against Mewtwo's chest and ran a jolt of electricity through it. Ash turned his head away, painfully, as Mewtwo's body jerked, only the straps holding him on the bed. The monotonous beep continued and Sparky gave another shock. This time, the monitor returned to a near normal beeping. Mewtwo's body seemed to relax again. Shigure sighed with relief, then quickly ran to the storage room. A few moments later, he returned with an IV filled with clear fluid and injected the needle into Mewtwo's arm, allowing it to pump the fluid directly into his blood. With a dry cloth, Shigure wiped away the saliva from Mewtwo's mouth.  
With the frightening moment passed, Ash felt his senses returning. As his shock abated, he approached the bed. Pikachu remained at the back of the room.  
"What do we do now?" he asked weakly.  
Shigure pressed his palms together and bowed his head reverently. "If you have any faith, then pray," he said.  
Ash looked helplessly on Mewtwo. His breath was still coming through strained and ragged wheezes. His eyelids were opened just a slit, though his eyes had rolled back in his head and he was completely unaware of anything around him. According to the monitor, his heart was beating a little faster than it was supposed to be. Ash's vision began to blur as his eyes moistened.  
'Please,' he begged silently, 'don't let Mewtwo die. Not like this.'  
Dropping to his knees, he leaned against the bed. Two tears fell from his cheeks to the floor.  
"Will he die?" he asked.  
Shigure shrugged. "It's impossible to say as of yet. His heart had quite a shock and we won't know until his condition starts to change. I suppose it depends on his will to survive. He has to want to live."  
Ash clenched his teeth and closed his eyes tightly. He couldn't handle his uselessness; not being able to do anything at all to help. Grief and frustration tore at his soul, ripping his heart apart. Pikachu climbed up onto his shoulder and attempted to console him, but Ash hardly noticed.  
"Why is this happening?" he demanded in a harsh whisper.  
"It's a side affect of the poison," Shigure explained brokenly. "When I first found him, he had lost consciousness. On the way to my home, he stopped breathing. It was four minutes before we got him to breath again and by that time, irreparable damage had already been done to his brain and heart.  
"The brain works through a number of complex chemical reactions which transfer the electrical signals to the rest of our body, but some of Mewtwo's brain cells have been damaged and can't support the energy required to use the fullness of his mental powers. As he begins to overwork them, the signals get mixed up, which causes his body to suffer these violent seizures. The shock of it causes him to loose consciousness, and because of the damage to his heart, he's at risk to having a heart attack."  
"That's not what I meant," Ash said, tears rolling down his face. "Why is this happening to him? He doesn't deserve this."  
Shigure lowered his head. "To that," he admitted, "I have no answer. The gods put us through trials for reasons that we cannot always understand."  
Ash reached out suddenly and took hold of Mewtwo by the hand. It was a desperate and childish action, but it was the only thing he could think to do. To his surprise, Mewtwo's fingers closed gently around his hand and he heard his labored gasps become more stable. Shigure's jaw dropped.  
"His heart rate is normalizing," he said in awe. "And his breathing is getting stronger."  
Ash looked at Mewtwo's face. It suddenly looked more peaceful than it had before and there seemed to be a sense of fortitude in it now. Ash smiled as he clasped his other hand around his first. 'You can make it,' he said silently, comforting himself more than anything.  
Shigure sighed. "I think he'll be fine," he reported. "We can leave him now."  
"No," Ash said firmly. "I don't want to. The way he holds my hand, it makes me think that it's me he's holding onto."  
"Like you're the one keeping him alive?" Shigure asked.  
Ash chuckled weakly, tears still coming from his eyes. "Do you think that's silly?"  
Shigure shook his head. "It may be true. Your care for him may very well be what is giving him strength. He once told me that, because he was a clone, he was born without any family and it was something that he always felt a need for. He thinks of me as a friend and a teacher, but you love him as though he were a brother. I think, if he can feel that in you, it may give him a desire to live."  
Ash nodded, but was unable to speak with the knot in his throat.  
  
It was six o'clock and Ivan was preparing to go home for the night. He organized the reports he hadn't yet had time to read and put them into his black briefcase. Twisting the lock on it, he took another moment to look over his desk to make sure he hadn't missed anything. As he was about to leave, the phone on his desk rang.  
He snarled softly. He didn't want to talk to anyone else at the moment. After his long meeting with the police chief, who had plagued him with annoying questions all day and setting him behind schedule several hours, he was in a foul mood.  
He started for the door. The phone rang again.  
"What?" he growled irritably as he placed the receiver to his ear.  
The video screen turned on and Jessie's image appeared on the screen. For a moment, he considered hanging up on her, but decided against it and allowed her to speak.  
"We have good news," she reported. "We were following the brat and he led us to this small place called Banzai Town."  
"What!?" Ivan roared. "You were given instructions to discontinue your pursuit of the boy."  
Jessie fearfully took a step back away from the monitor. She looked toward her companions. The three of them conversed amongst themselves for a moment. Jessie turned back to the monitor and shook her head.  
"We never received any orders like that," she said confused.  
Ivan's eyebrow raised up. "Wendy was supposed to tell you about it." He hesitated. 'Of course,' he realized, 'Wendy didn't tell them so that I would become angry with them. I wouldn't have expected this from her.' He chuckled. "We'll discuss that later. What is your news?"  
"We found Mewtwo," she replied with a smile. "He's in Banzai Town, living with some old guy named Shigure."  
Ivan smiled. Perhaps it hadn't been such a bad day after all. "Good work," he said.  
"About the reward promised," Jessie began.  
"Of course," Ivan agreed. "I'll deduct it from the money you already owe us and send you whatever is left. If there's anything left."  
"But. . ."  
The image disappeared as Ivan put replaced the receiver. Mewtwo had finally been located. Everything was going so perfectly that he couldn't believe it. He was all the more close to achieving his goal. He suddenly burst into hysterical laughter that went on for several minutes, unnerving the guards outside. When he at last calmed down, he picked up the phone and dialed another number.  
"Team Rocket Headquarters, Wendy speaking." Then she saw who was on the line. "Boss! What is it?"  
"You never gave the order for Jessie and James to stop chasing that boy," he hissed angrily. "I just had an interesting conversation with them and the subject came up. Did you believe I was so stupid as to be fooled by such a childish trick!? How dare you insult me!?"  
"No, sir," she lied. "It isn't true."  
"Shut up!" he growled. "Normally I would be very upset with you, but it seems that all has worked out for the better. While following the boy, he led them to Mewtwo."  
He waited, enjoying Wendy's shocked reaction. Though she did her best to hide it, she was clearly angry that her attempt had backfired.  
"I will excuse this for now, as I am in such good humor at the moment," he said. "But if you ever disobey my direct orders ever again, I'll see to it that you won't even be able to get a job as an elementary school secretary."  
With that, he slammed the receiver without allowing her to say another word. With a delighted smile, he placed a cigarette mouth and lit it up. It was all so perfect. 


	6. Ivan's Arrival

6 Ivan's Arrival  
Mewtwo's eyes slowly opened. At first, he felt confused by the sight of the ceiling of the infirmary at Shigure's home. He could hear the pump of the oxygen tank and felt the mask on his face, but he couldn't make any sense of it. Then, the cloudiness of his mind began to clear and his memories flooded him again. The farm, Team Rocket, the silo falling toward Benjamin; it all came back to him in an instant and he realized he had gone into a seizure.  
His next thought was to worry about his friends. While he could remember the events leading to his attack, he couldn't recall if Benjamin had gotten out from under the silo, or anything after that. He tried to sit up, too quickly, and fell back into the bed.  
Suddenly, he became aware of a hand on his own. He turned his head slowly. He saw Ash sitting at the side of the bed, his head laid against it, with Pikachu curled up in his lap. Both were soundly asleep.  
Mewtwo smiled weakly and removed the oxygen mask from his face. He sat up again, slowly this time, and pulled the IV from his arm. Reaching out, he touched Ash lightly on the shoulder. The young boy mumbled groggily and lifted his head, groaning from the stiffness of his neck. Then his eyes popped open and he was instantly awake.  
"You're okay?" he exclaimed with a mixture of joy and relief.  
Mewtwo nodded. "Were you sitting there all night long?" he asked.  
"I guess so," Ash said. "I was too worried to leave you alone."  
"Thank you," Mewtwo replied, smiling. "Help me to stand."  
Ash moved aside as Mewtwo leaned his legs over the side of the bed. He allowed Mewtwo to rest on his shoulder as he slid slowly out of the bed, and put his feet gently on the floor. For a moment, he used Ash to support himself, then at last stood upright.  
"I'm hungry," Mewtwo stated.  
"Me too," Ash agreed. "Let's go eat."  
  
Shigure was kneeling before his family alter with his head bowed and his eyes closed. On the alter, there were two jars that contained the ashes of his parents bodies. Above the jars, a picture of each parent was hung. It was ornately decorated with gold and jade, a lasting tribute to them. Every morning, he would pray before the alter and pay his respects to his lost family.  
So many memories were brought back every time he looked at it. In his life, he had always strived to do everything he could to honor them, but every morning, as he kneeled before it, it always made him feel as though it was not enough. Of course, he knew that he could never truly give his parents the honor they deserved; no amount of service could ever be done in a single person's lifetime for that. So, every morning as he finished his prayers, he left his parents with a promise that he would do more. That was all he could do and he hoped that when he joined them in the next life, they would be pleased with his efforts.  
That morning, he was so deep in prayer that he didn't even notice Ash and Mewtwo when they came into the room from the infirmary. Mewtwo was once again leaning on Ash for support; his legs were not yet as strong as he was used to them being. They waited quietly for Shigure to finish, not wanting to be rude.  
After a few minutes, Shigure opened his eyes and rose to his feet, then turned around. When he saw Mewtwo standing before him, he smiled. For a moment, there was only silence. No one could think of anything to say.  
"I'm glad you're okay," Shigure said finally.  
"I'm sorry I worried you," Mewtwo apologized.  
Shigure shook his head. "It's alright. It wasn't your fault."  
The moment passed as Brock and Misty came into the room, delighted to see that Mewtwo was alive. After the both of them finished explaining how afraid they had been and how relieved they were, they went into the dining room for breakfast.  
Neither Ash nor his friends could ever recall a meal tasting as good as it did that morning. "Nothing like a near-death experience to make you appreciate life," Brock had said, a comment that everyone had unanimously agreed to. Breakfast was more like a celebration. They ate, talked and laughed together for hours. In the middle of it, the phone rang. It was Benjamin, calling in to ask how everyone was doing. He was glad to see that Mewtwo had survived, and Mewtwo was just as pleased to see the same about Benjamin and the other farmers.  
The merriment didn't last, however, and was interrupted by an approaching sound.  
"What is that?" Shigure asked, leaning his head toward it.  
"It sounds like a helicopter," Misty said.  
"Helicopter?" Shigure was confused. 'Helicopters never come here.'  
  
"There's the house," Ivan said, pointing through the cockpit windshield.  
He was quite impressed by the large home that was hidden away in the mountains. To have built any kind of structure, even just a small cabin, that high in the mountains had to be quite expensive, which meant he was dealing with a rich person. Nothing he couldn't handle. Even a saint would walk barefoot into hell for the right price. He actually was glad that he would be doing business with a wealthy person; they were always easier to buy out. By the end of the day, he would have everything he needed to begin his ultimate plans.  
It bothered him that he didn't know much about who Mewtwo's owner was. Jessie and James had been in such a rush to inform him about Mewtwo that they hadn't taken time to find out much about who it was that owned the creature. He was lucky that they had even thought to make sure to learn where the pokemon was, but, with people like those two, you had to take whatever you could get.  
"Set us down," he ordered, releasing a puff of smoke into the air.  
"Yes, sir," the pilot replied.  
  
Shigure, Ash and his friends came outside to meet the helicopter as it came in for a landing. Mewtwo, not wanting to risk being seen, stayed in the house, watching them from peephole on the front door.  
Even though the helicopter landed a good distance away from the house, the gust created by the vehicle's propellers almost blew Ash's cap off. The side door on the helicopter opened. The group watched as the tall man, dressed in black, climbed from it. He tossed the stub of a cigarette onto the dirt trail and crushed it under his foot before he approached them.  
Shigure bowed as the man reached him. "Welcome to my home," he said.  
The man returned the bow. "Thank you," he replied. "I am Ivan Zokas and I represent Team Rocket."  
"Team Rocket!" Ash blurted. "We don't want anything to do with you. Get out of here now!"  
Ivan didn't appear to be offended by Ash's remark. He smiled politely as he turned toward him. He took a moment to look over him.  
"Adolescent with dark hair and a red cap," he noted. "You must be Ash Ketchum. I am correct?"  
Ash didn't say anything, but glowered at Ivan. Ivan's smile broadened.  
Shigure cleared his throat. "What brings you to my home, Mr. Zokas?"  
Ivan turned back to Shigure. "As I said, I am here representing Team Rocket. I was informed that two of our members were causing trouble for you just yesterday. As my organization's representative, I am here to offer any possible compensation"  
Ivan reached into his inner coat pocket and removed his checkbook. Opening the book, he placed a pen to it and asked, "What damages were there?"  
Shigure hesitated for a moment. "Well, they destroyed a grain silo."  
Ivan began to write down on his check. After he had written the word "silo" on the check, he stopped.  
"Excuse me," he said. "Did you say, 'grain silo'?"  
Shigure nodded. Ivan's eye twitched. He began to mumble angrily in a language that none of them understood.  
"How did they manage that?" he asked, sill angry. "As far as I know, they weren't authorized to have any weapons."  
"They crashed their balloon into it," Shigure explained. "The explosion of the propane tanks knocked it over."  
Ivan stuttered for a moment, then finished writing up the check. He showed it to Shigure. "Will that cover it?" he asked.  
Shigure nodded. Ivan ripped the check out and handed it to him. Shigure felt uncomfortable. Why was this stranger giving him money for the damage? It certainly didn't seem to reflect his company's activities.  
"Are you really giving me this?" he asked.  
"Yes, of course," Ivan said, seemingly irritated. "I know that our group has been involved in, uh, unlawful activities in the past, but we are trying to change that. We are a legitimate business now. Those other two who were here just yesterday had not been informed on our new policy and they have been properly dealt with."  
Ash couldn't believe what he was hearing. Team Rocket turning over a new leaf? It couldn't be true, not after all that he had gone through with them. A company couldn't simply change overnight. It had to be a lie.  
Shigure was also a little skeptical. Have heard of Team Rocket himself, he found it hard to believe. "Is this the only reason you came here?" he asked.  
Ivan chuckled. "I must confess," he admitted, "my purpose here is not entirely altruistic. There is something I was hoping to gain in this. It is, however, entirely coincidental that my personal business and my company's business is with the same person."  
"I see," Shigure said, still doubtful. "Well, what is it that you want?"  
"It was a complete stroke of luck that I even heard about this," Ivan explained. "When Jessie and James reported this incident to me, they noted that you have something that I have been searching for."  
Shigure began to worry. He had a good idea of what he was getting at.  
"They saw a rare pokemon," Ivan continued. "They said that they saw Mewtwo. Is this true? Do you really have Mewtwo with you?"  
Inside the house, Mewtwo stepped back away from the door. 'How does he know?'  
Shigure was shocked as well. He tried to think of something to say, but words wouldn't come to him. The hesitation took too long and Ivan smiled.  
"It's true then," he said.  
Shigure saw the hunger in his eyes. He wasn't hiding it now. Shigure drew back.  
"I don't know what you're talking about," he said, feigning ignorance.  
Ivan shook his head and chuckled. "It is too late to play dumb now," he said. "By your reaction, I already know the truth. I would like to purchase that pokemon. I will pay a generous amount of four million dollars. What do you say?"  
Shigure hesitated, then laughed. "I'm sorry you came all this way," he said, "but I couldn't sell Mewtwo to you for four million dollars."  
"I see," Ivan replied. "I guess I can't fool you. Alright then, I'll offer you what it is really worth then. If you include the cost of creating it and its level of power, two hundred million dollars should be an appropriate price. How does that sound?"  
Shigure shook his head. "You don't understand," he tried to explain. "I couldn't sell him to you for four million dollars because I couldn't sell him to you at all. Mewtwo is not for sale."  
Ivan nodded. "I understand. Having such a rare and powerful pokemon is quite an incredible thing to boast. But tell me, honestly, what are you going to do with it. Mewtwo can make its owner rich and powerful, but out here, there's no way you could possibly make use of its abilities. I, on the other hand, can and I would like to."  
"No you don't understand," Shigure said.  
If Ivan had heard him, he certainly did a good job of pretending he didn't and continued as though he hadn't been interrupted. "I'll pay you double what I offered. In fact, name your price. I'll pay up to thirty billion dollars and that's my budget. Think of that. All the things that you could use that money for."  
That same idea did come to Shigure's mind. That could do so much for his cancer research funding, or it could build a great number of schools for children or shelters for homeless. The thought was tempting, even to him.  
"Thirty billion dollars is a lot of money," Shigure said.  
"Yes, it is," Ivan agreed as he began to write up the check. "So, that is what you'll take for it? Done."  
He put the check in Shigure's hand. Shigure read the amount. For a moment, he couldn't speak. Ash, however, knew exactly what to say.  
"You can't sell Mewtwo," he shouted. "He's not an animal you can just give away for any amount of money."  
"Stop babbling," Ivan growled at him. "We adults are doing business right now. It does not concern you children."  
Shigure looked at the check again, then sighed. With a smile, he gave it back. "I'm sorry," he said. "There certainly are a lot of things I could do with that money, but my friend is right. I'm not able to sell you Mewtwo."  
"You're turning me down?" Ivan asked.  
"I just did. Mewtwo is not like other pokemon. He is a highly intelligent and sentient being. He's more like a human than an animal. In fact, he's more human than some humans. I couldn't possibly sell him to you in good conscience, it would be like selling you a friend."  
Ivan seemed baffled. He looked at the check in his hand, then offered it again. "Take it," he said. "Take it."  
Shigure shook his head. Ivan waited another moment, then sighed. Removing the lighter from his pocket, he lit up the end of it. He held it until it burned up to the tips of his fingers, then released it. It turned to ashes and blew away before it even reached the ground. Ivan smiled.  
"You're a very strange man, you know," he said. "For thirty billion dollars, most people would sell me their friends, but not you. You're a man of strong integrity, something very rare these days." Ivan smiled more broadly, but his apparent pleasantness was still marred by the ravenous look in his eyes. "If you're not interested in money, then perhaps it is the pokemon's feelings that matter to you?"  
"I like to think so," Shigure said.  
"What if Mewtwo wanted to come with me?" Ivan asked.  
"If he wishes that," Shigure replied, "far be it from me to stop him; however, you'll have to ask him yourself."  
Ivan chuckled. "I will." He turned to the door and called out, "I know that you've been eavesdropping on this whole conversation, Mewtwo. If you please, come out now and speak with me face to face."  
Inside, Mewtwo hesitated. Should he go out? He decided that there was no point in hiding any more. Ivan wouldn't go away unless he told him to himself. He opened the door and went out to meet him.  
Ivan couldn't conceal his elation at the sight of Mewtwo. So close to his goal, he was caught up in a sense of euphoria. His hands trembled slightly as Mewtwo came closer until he was standing directly before him.  
"It is good to meet you," Ivan said. "I have been looking for you for a long time."  
"How do you know about me?" he demanded, cutting off Ivan's flattery.  
Ivan chuckled. "If you're referring to the incident between you and Giovanni, I was not a member then. I was just an observer who was not directly involved with the battle."  
"I will not go back to work for Giovanni no matter what you say," Mewtwo said firmly. "That man could never possibly change. I know from experience that he is too caught up in his ambition."  
Ivan nodded understandingly. "I can believe you when you say that," he agreed. "Giovanni was a very malicious character, but you will be happy to know that he is no more. He died just a few weeks ago and I have bought out his company. I am now the owner of Team Rocket."  
The others were stunned. Giovanni, dead? They all wondered how and why, but none of them could think of how to ask.  
"So," Ivan continued, "would you like to come and work for me? I would greatly enjoy your help. There is so much you could do for us. If what your friend says is true, then I would be happy to make you a full member of our group, paycheck and all. Not only that, but you would also get the same benefits as our human employees. What do you say? Will you please come with me?"  
Mewtwo hesitated and looked Ivan in the eyes. Ivan seemed so different from Giovanni. Giovanni had been demanding and cruel, but this man seemed to be much more open-minded. Giovanni had never even offered for him to become a member of his group. He also remembered how Giovanni had seemed like a good man at first too, and that didn't turn out as well as he would have liked.  
"I appreciate your kind offer," he said at last, "but I'm afraid that I'll have to turn you down. My friends are here. No, my family is here and this is where I belong. Even if you truly mean it when you say that you would hold as much respect for me as if I were human, it would never be like it is here. It never could be."  
Ivan nodded again. "I can see that you would think that. Your friends seem very loyal to you. But, if you are an employee of my company, then there is no reason to believe that you can't come back and visit them whenever you would like to. And you would also bring back with you money for him. You would no longer be another person he has to feed because you can take care of yourself. It will much better for him as well as for you."  
"It is an enticing offer," Mewtwo said, "but I'm not interested. I don't think that I'm ready to face the world yet and I'm certain that the world isn't ready to face me."  
Ivan laughed. "They certainly aren't," he said. "But we can work on that. If you never go out, then the world will never be ready."  
Mewtwo nodded. "Perhaps that's true," he agreed. "However, I don't think so. Maybe another time."  
Ivan smiled. 'It's working,' he thought. 'He's beginning to move toward my ideas. Perhaps he just needs a little push.'  
Ivan reached into his coat pocket and removed a pokeball. He opened it and released his Charizard. Walking over to it, he stroked its neck.  
"Allow me to show you something," he said. He pointed at Mewtwo and commanded, "Flamethrower!"  
The others gasped as the Charizard released a stream of flame directly at Mewtwo. Thinking quickly, Mewtwo held out his hand and created a shield by condensing the water in the air around him. The flames hit it and burst into steam. Mewtwo felt the force of the attack weaken him and he collapsed to his knees.  
"What are you doing!?" Misty cried. "You could have hurt him."  
Ivan shook his head. "I have been studying Mewtwo's records. I know exactly how much he could have improved in the time since he escaped from Team Rocket. I knew that he could stop that attack."  
Mewtwo rose to his feet. "That was incredible," he said. "I've never seen a pokemon with that much power before."  
Ivan smiled. "It's how I train them. My pokemon are the most powerful in the world. I could help you increase yours as well. Think about it, Mewtwo. There is power inside you that is yet dormant, waiting to be awakened. I can help you do that if you would only come with me."  
Mewtwo remained quiet as he considered the offer. If Ivan could make a Charizard that strong, then Ivan could certainly make him more powerful than he had ever thought possible. He could imagine what he might be able to do if he went with Ivan.  
With all the thoughts of greatness that wandered through his mind, he might have agreed to go with Ivan, if not for one thought that pierced through all of them. A memory of when he had first been born and first realized his power. With that memory also came the memory of Ash, lying dead on the ground, struck down by his own power. It was then that he realized that all that power had nothing to offer him. What was he going to use it for?  
"No," he whispered.  
"What?" Ivan asked.  
"I said no," he repeated, louder this time.  
"But. . ."  
"NO!" Mewtwo practically shouted. "I had power once. I know what an exhilarating feeling it is to have it, but I also know the truth. Back when I tried to make use of my power, it never helped. It never gave me what I wanted, never made me happy." He looked to his friends. "Being here, with them, that makes me happy. I can see now that you have nothing to offer me. I don't want what you have."  
"B-but," Ivan stuttered. He couldn't think of what to say. His dreams were crumbling to dust in his hands. He had been so close and now it was slipping away, though he tried as hard as he could to grasp it. He couldn't let it end like this. "You could have everything with me!"  
"I already have everything," Mewtwo replied, his voice breaking from the memories that Ivan had revived. "Please, just go away. Leave me alone."  
Ivan staggered backward as though Mewtwo's words had sent him a deathblow. Suddenly, his demeanor changed. His eyes turned fiery with rage and his expression became cold, hard steel. The pleasantness of his voice melted away, leaving only daggers coming forth from his tongue.  
"You don't understand," he growled. "No one says no to Ivan Zokas. Charizard, Flamethrower! This time, don't hold anything back!"  
With a furious roar, Ivan's Charizard spewed another blast of fire. Mewtwo threw up his water shield again, but the blast plowed through it, throwing him to the ground. Screaming, Misty ran up to Ivan.  
"What are you doing?" she demanded.  
Ivan glowered at her through the corner of his eyes without turning his head away from Mewtwo. Snarling, he struck her in the side of the head with the back of his hand, knocking her down. Turning back to his real target, he stalked toward Mewtwo.  
"As I told you," he hissed, "I have studied your ability to improve and know exactly how powerful you could have become. I can tell you that even if you had trained yourself every waking moment since you escaped from Team Rocket, my Charizard is still stronger. You will come with me, whether it is willingly, or if I have to forcefully take you and I promise you that the former will be much less painful."  
Mewtwo tried stand up, but Ivan kicked him in the shoulder and pressed his foot down onto his chest.  
"Give up now!" he haltingly snarled through his teeth.  
"Not so fast!" Ash yelled. "You won't have Mewtwo."  
He was about to call his Pikachu, but at that moment, one of the pokeballs on his vest opened and his own Charizard appeared. It roared angrily.  
"You want to take this one?" Ash asked.  
Charizard nodded.  
"Okay then, go!"  
Ivan stared at the two of them for a moment, then laughed. "Idiot child!" he said, stepping away from Mewtwo and walking toward him. "Why should I waste my time with you?"  
Ash stood firm as Ivan stopped no more then two feet away from him. "You're not getting to Mewtwo unless you go through me!"  
Ivan's eyes narrowed. "You?" He spit on the ground. "You're nothing! My pokemon have been trained to gain powers far beyond normal ones. Your Charizard could not possibly beat mine."  
"Then why do you sound worried?" Ash challenged.  
Ivan stuttered, his eye twitching in rage. "I don't have to prove anything to some boy!" he shouted. "What could I possibly gain from running a child into the dirt?"  
Behind them, Mewtwo had risen to his feet. Exerting as much power as he dared, he channeled a psychic blast at Ivan's Charizard. Growling, the pokemon staggered backward a few steps and grabbed its head. Ivan saw and rushed to his Charizard.  
"What did you do?" he demanded.  
"I've restricted your pokemon's abilities," Mewtwo explained. "Now it and Ash's Charizard are on the same level of power and it comes down to which of you is the better trainer."  
Ivan snorted. "Weren't you listening?" he shouted. "I won't fight him. If I won't get anything out of it, why should I?"  
"That's where you're wrong," Mewtwo said. "If you win this battle, I'll go with you willingly."  
Ash gasped. "Mewtwo, are you sure you want to do that?"  
"I have faith in you Ash," Mewtwo replied. "I know you can win."  
Ivan laughed triumphantly. "Is that so? If that is the way you want it, then I accept. This will be much better anyway. This way, I won't have to damage you anymore than I already have."  
Ivan stepped out of the way as his Charizard approached. Ash instructed his Charizard to step up.  
"Remember, Charizard," Ash warned, "His pokemon is stronger then we are. If we try to overpower him, we'll loose."  
Ivan smiled. "It's smart of you to think that way, but it won't help you. Charizard, attack!"  
Growling, Ivan's Charizard charged. Hearing its master's mental order, it lowered its head and prepared to strike its opponent.  
"Charizard dodge it," Ash commanded. "Tail whip."  
Ash's Charizard ducked to the side and then brought up its tail to slap its enemy, but the other pokemon was no longer there. It turned and felt Ivan's Charizard slash it along the gut. It drew back in pain.  
Ivan laughed. "I forgot to mention," he jeered. "My headband allows me to communicate directly to my pokemon's brain, allowing them to react instantly to my commands. If you expect to win, you might want to move a little faster."  
Ash clenched his teeth. "Fly!" he ordered.  
'Fly,' Ivan thought.  
Both pokemon took to the air and engaged each other in flight. Embers rained down from the sky as both Charizards took blow after blow. Ivan appeared to have the advantage. Ash couldn't seem to give his orders fast enough and for every attack he called, Ivan already had a defense ready by the time his Charizard got around to striking.  
'Enough games,' Ivan commanded. 'Ground it!'  
Ivan's Charizard wrapped its arms around Ash's, curled back its wings and plummeted to the ground. At the last moment, it released its victim and unfurled its wings, pulling away moments before it crashed to the ground.  
'Tear its throat out!' Ivan ordered.  
Ivan's Charizard landed next to Ash's. Placing one hand under its chin and the other on its chest, it pinned Ash's pokemon to the ground. Opening its mouth wide to showcase its incisors, it prepared to bite. Ash's Charizard struggled desperately and managed to spray its captor in the face with its flamethrower, holding off the final blow for a few moments.  
Ash's mind raced urgently for a solution. He could tell that his opponent was going to make his finishing move and he doubted that his own pokemon would survive. He had to think of something. As Ivan's Charizard lowered its head, a idea struck him.  
"Charizard, flex your wings," he commanded.  
"Eh?" Ivan exclaimed, turning away for a moment.  
Ash's Charizard did as it was told. As the muscles of its wings tightened, the fulcrum they created pushed its body upward, causing it to smack Ivan's Charizard in the face and forcing its mouth to clamp shut before it could get its jaws around its neck.  
"Tail whip!"  
Ivan watched in a stupor as Ash's pokemon rolled quickly to its feet and slapped his own across the face with its tail. It staggered back.  
"Slash!"  
'Dodge!' Ivan ordered, finally regaining his composure.  
Ash's Charizard struck with its razor claws, but Ivan's pokemon was already out of the way. It flew back, distancing itself from its opponent. When Ivan gave another mental order, it began to rise into the air, shrinking in the distance until it was almost impossible to see.  
"DIVE!" Ivan screamed.  
The pokemon once again folded its wings together and hurled toward its opponent, gaining speed until it was moving faster than a bullet. Ash knew what he had to do to escape, but before he issued the command, he remembered Shigure's words from that first night. Timing is everything. He realized if he called too soon, Ivan would have time to react.  
"Wait for it!" he ordered.  
Charizard stood its ground as the other pokemon came hurtling down. The wind blowing away from its falling body created a high pitched whistle as it came closer.  
'A little closer,' Ash thought to himself.  
Ivan's Charizard was only three hundred feet away now. Then, only two hundred, then one hundred. At its speed, it would certainly win if it made contact. Only fifty feet away.  
"Duck!" Ash shouted.  
Charizard dropped to all fours. Ivan tried to order his pokemon to break off, but it was too late. It smashed into the ground, blasting dirt and grass into the air, and then bounced along the ground like a stone skipping across the surface of a lake. After the third bounce, it impacted with a large tree, snapping its trunk like a twig. Ivan's Charizard rolled along the ground for a few moments longer, then stopped and collapsed onto its stomach.  
Ivan shrieked in rage. He ran over to his fallen pokemon and inspected it. He saw that it was still breathing and miraculously somehow conscious, but wasn't getting up.  
"To your feet!" he commanded. "Kill that other Charizard."  
The pokemon struggled to stand. It pushed with all its strength to rise, but couldn't manage to get to its feet. It was able to support itself with its forearms with agonizing effort, but could go no further. Angry, Ivan began to shout threats at it in Russian.  
"It can't go on," Ash said as he recalled his Charizard. "After that crash, I'm surprised it's still alive. You should never have taken a risk like the one you just did. It probably won't be able to get up for weeks."  
"Shut up!" Ivan roared. "I haven't lost yet."  
Ivan took a leather whip from his coat and began to beat his Charizard ferociously. With every blow, the pokemon howled in anguish.  
"Stop it!" Ash yelled.  
Ivan ignored him and continued to lash at his already injured pokemon. One of the blows fell across its eye, drawing a bleeding scar. At that moment, something snapped inside the poor creature and it suddenly realized the terrible truth. Its master no longer cared for it. The person that it had lovingly served since it was a charmander did not love it back. Shock of the betrayal gave way to anger. With a furious roar, it lashed back for its own trainer. With a startled yelp, Ivan leaped aside as its lethal claws shredded part of his coat. The Charizard crawled forward and released a surge of flame from its throat. Ivan rolled away, but the tip of his coat caught on fire. He quickly detached the outer layer from his coat before the flames could spread to the rest of his body. He watched it burn. There was a sudden, loud pop and a burst of flames from his coat pocket as his lighter ruptured and the fuel combusted. His anger boiled over. Growling, he turned to his Charizard.  
"You stupid beast!" he shouted. "You dare attack me? I am your master!"  
The pokemon growled. Intimidated, Ivan took a step back.  
"I'll show you!"  
He pressed a button on the front of his headband. At once, the Charizard's headband began ejecting sparks from the part where it was plugged in. The creature roared in pain and tugged furiously at the headband. Then, with an agonized howl, it dropped to the ground. Horrified, Ash saw blood begin to drool from its mouth.  
"You killed it!" he cried. "How could you do that to your own pokemon?"  
Ivan spit and then kicked the motionless body once for good measure.  
"That animal turned on me!" he growled. "I can't allow for such things. Besides, this is no great loss. Charizard are fairly easy to get a hold of. If it mattered at all, I could have ten more just as powerful sent to me by tomorrow morning. But that is my business and not yours. You only have to fight me."  
Ivan retrieved another pokeball and released a Pincer. The beetle- like pokemon growled at Ash. Ash folded his arms and shook his head.  
"I'm not going to continue this," he said. "Not after what you just did. Pokemon aren't to be treated that way. If beating you means that you kill your pokemon, I won't be a part of it."  
Ivan's eye twitched. "We'll see if you still feel that way when you're being attacked."  
Pincer charged for Ash's Pikachu, opening its huge claw. Pikachu hopped away, barely escaping as Pincer's claw snapped shut. Pincer struck again several more times, but Pikachu only dodged them. It refused to fight back no matter what its opponent did. Ivan quickly became irritated as he watched the fight. He let his eyes wander around as he tried to think. Then an idea struck him and he called for his pokemon to halt.  
"So," he said with a sinister chuckle, "you won't fight? Even when you're defending yourself? What about if you were defending your friends?" He pointed at Brock and commanded, "Attack the human!"  
Twirling around, Pincer charged at Brock. Caught by surprise, Brock stumbled and fell backward. Pincer pinned him to the ground.  
"Guillotine attack!" Ivan ordered.  
With a hiss, Pincer put its claw around Brocks neck. Desperately, he reached up and grabbed it. He fought with all his strength to keep the pincer from closing on his throat. Blood began to drip from his hands as the jagged edges cut into his palms.  
"Pikachu, save Brock!" Ash shouted.  
"You may want to rethink that," Ivan sneered. "If you use an electric attack, you will probably hurt your friend too. If you surrender Mewtwo to me, then I will spare him."  
"Never!" Brock yelled. "I don't care what you do, we'll never let you have Mewtwo!"  
"Fine then," Ivan laughed. "Die!"  
Ash ran to Brock and grabbed a hold of one side of Pincer's claw and pulled on it with all his might, while Pikachu pulled on the other end of the claw. While the two of them tried to pry the pokemon away, Ivan ran over to Mewtwo.  
"You will come with me," he declared.  
He lashed out with his whip. Suddenly, Shigure jumped in between them and thrust out his hand, causing the whip to wrap around his arm. Ivan tugged at his end, trying to pull it away. Shigure calmly drew his sword.  
"This weapon is a thing which you have used to hurt others," he said firmly. "You will never use it again!"  
With a swift stroke, he brought his sword down on the whip, slicing it in half. Ivan lost his balance and fell to the ground. He crawled backward away from Shigure as he approached.  
"Witness your defeat," Shigure said pointing to the others, "at the hands of those who are superior to you."  
Ivan looked toward them. They were still struggling to get his Pincer off of Brock and they were weakening. In a few more moments, Pincer's claw would snap shut and break his neck. He almost laughed. Them? Superior trainers?  
His confidence didn't even waver when he saw Misty remove a pokeball and release her Starmie. She told Ash to move and waited for him to shuffle out of the way. Once Ash was clear, she commanded her pokemon to attack. Starmie began to spin rapidly and then hurled itself at Pincer. It collided with the bug pokemon with enough force to knock it off of Brock. Only after he saw this, did the smile fade from Ivan's face.  
"Stupid girl!" Ivan growled scornfully. "You should not have interfered in the affairs of others."  
Misty snorted at him. "When you threaten my friends, it becomes my affair," she said.  
Ivan smiled. "I'm glad you feel that way," he sneered. "It will make it so much more comforting for you when I kill you all!"  
He turned to his Pincer. 'Vicegrip,' he commanded.  
Hissing, Pincer charged for Starmie. At Misty's order, Starmie fired its water gun attack. Pincer dodged the first spray and effortlessly shook off the second one when it hit it. Misty gasped as Pincer leapt into air and caught her pokemon in its claw, dragging it to the ground.  
"Break it in half!" Ivan shouted, clenching his fists.  
Pincer began to squeeze its claw shut. Starmie writhed in pain as Pincer's grip tightened. Misty tired to think of what to do. Starmie had to escape from the attack or it would be killed. She racked her brain to find a solution. In horror, she saw the light from Starmie's jewel begin to fade as its life slipped away. Then, the answer hit her.  
"Swift attack!" she ordered.  
Immediately, Starmie began to shoot star-shaped disks from the jewel on its body. The first three struck Pincer directly in the head at point- blank range, causing it to loose its hold. As it staggered backward, one of the disks struck Pincer's headband, shattering the front end of it. The beetle collapsed backward.  
Ivan screamed in rage and rushed to his Pincer. He lifted it up and carefully removed the broken headband. He inspected it and then angrily threw it to the ground.  
"Idiot!" he shouted. "Do you know how expensive it is to make these things."  
He recalled his pokemon and returned the pokeball to his pocket, but instead of retrieving another, his hand went for his upper-right pocket. When it reached it, he found something wrong; his pocket wasn't there. In desperation, he looked toward his hand and then remembered that he had dropped his outer coat layer when it caught fire. His cigarettes had been in his pocket.  
His hands began to twitch from the nicotine withdrawal. He had always been a disciplined smoker, but under the stress, he was beginning to feel the cravings. He searched his coat desperately for another package. He had to have another one somewhere.  
"We're waiting," Ash prompted.  
Irritated, Ivan removed another pokeball. This time he released a Donphan. Ash's Pikachu stepped up to face it.  
"Rollout attack," Ivan commanded absently as he continued to search his coat for a cigarette.  
Donphan curled up and rolled toward Pikachu with incredible speed. Pikachu jumped away to avoid being run down by the armored, elephant-like creature. Throwing dust into the air, Donphan came to a screeching halt and then charged in for another attack.  
"Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted.  
Electricity crackled around Pikachu's body as it powered up for the attack. As Donphan neared, Pikachu released its energy, knocking its opponent back. The pokemon uncurled and waited for its master to give the next order.  
Ivan, however, wasn't paying any attention to the battle. He was busy rummaging through his coat for another package of cigarettes. His hands were shaking uncontrollably from the addiction. When Ash realized that Ivan wasn't going to attack, he decided to make the first move.  
"Pikachu," he asked, "do you think you can remove the headband from Donphan?"  
"Pika!" Pikachu said with a nod.  
"Do it then!"  
Pikachu rushed its opponent. Having been trained not to move unless ordered, Donphan simply stood in place and remained almost motionless as Pikachu hopped up onto its head.  
Ivan heard Ash's command, but was so preoccupied with his search that he ignored it. When it dawned on him what was going on, there was nothing he could do.  
"Shake it off!" he shouted desperately, but too late.  
Pikachu pressed the release switch on the front of Donphan's headband and then pulled it off. Reacting to its master's command, it jerked its head and threw Pikachu from it, but by then, it didn't matter. Pikachu had accomplished its task.  
Ivan gave an enraged shriek. "It doesn't matter!" he yelled, his voice quivering from the need for nicotine. "I'll still win! Donphan, rollout attack!"  
Donphan curled up and rolled again, but without the headband driving it, it had no conviction and its attack was half-hearted. Pikachu easily evaded it.  
"Thunder!" Ash ordered.  
"CHU!" Pikachu screamed.  
A massive pillar of electricity exploded from Pikachu's body and hurtled toward Donphan. The force of the blast blew it off its feet and launched toward Ivan. The pokemon hit its master directly on the chest, throwing him to the ground and knocking the breath from his lungs.  
For a moment, he laid on the ground, hacking and wheezing for oxygen. When he was finally able to catch his breath, he struggled to his knees.  
"Donphan," he started to command.  
He stopped with a gasp when he saw his pokemon laying stretched out on the ground, out cold. With hands that were quaking so badly he could barely hold his pokeball, he recalled it. He tried to focus, but his mind wouldn't stay on one thought. The more he tried to think, the more his mind kept going back to the same thought. He needed a cigarette.  
Trembling and barely able to stand, he turned back to Ash. I can still win, he thought. He replaced the pokeball and reached for another one. Ash saw his eyes go wide with horror and disbelief. Ivan held open his coat to confirm what he had feared. He had no more Pokemon with him. He had never lost this many battles at one time before. It hadn't even occurred to him that he might have needed more than three. In his arrogance, he had come unprepared.  
It was unthinkable! Ivan had lost. And to a boy. How could it be? He was unbeatable, and yet a small child had so soundly defeated him. He threw his hands up in rage and pulled madly at his hair, shouting incoherently, apparently to no one. Ash calmly approached him.  
"Do you know why you lost?" he asked.  
Ivan glared at him with unsteady, twitching eyes.  
"You lost because you treat your pokemon like machines. You don't care for them at all. Once we removed the headbands you used to control them, they basically gave up. I've seen pokemon take much worse beatings for their trainers because they cared. You, on the other hand, couldn't have cared less. Your pokemon didn't have the heart to fight for you."  
"You also lost because you underestimated your opponents," Misty added. "You thought that just because we were kids, we weren't a threat. We certainly proved you wrong."  
"But mostly," Brock threw in, "you weren't paying any attention to the fight. You were too busy looking through your coat. What could possibly have been so important?"  
Shigure smiled. He walked over and stood beside Ash, but kept quiet. It seemed to him that he didn't really need to say anything at all.  
"In any case," Ash concluded, "you lost. Now leave and never come back. Mewtwo will never go with you and what's more, he will never belong to you."  
Ivan's eyes narrowed as his gaze focused on Ash. He was infuriated by the way that this boy was talking to him. What right did he have to speak to him like that? He was the richest, most powerful man in the world. Nobody could talk to him in such an impertinent manner.  
"I am Ivan Zokas!" he hissed, his hand moving toward his coat. "I cannot be defeated. Not by some child!"  
Shigure saw the weapon that Ivan was reaching for. Horrified, he realized that Ivan had gone mad with rage. He had to stop him. He gently pushed Ash aside and stepped in front of the maniac.  
"Stop!" he shouted.  
A harsh bang shook the air and everyone gasped in horror. Ivan's quivering hand clutched a smoking pistol.  
Shigure gagged and staggered backward, clutching his left breast with both hands. With a tattered groan, he dropped to the ground, gasping violently for breath.  
"NO!" Mewtwo cried, rushing to his fallen friend.  
Ash knelt beside Shigure. Blood from the wound began to seep into the grass around where he had fallen. Groaning from the pain, Shigure struggled to look up at Ash. Tears involuntarily welled up in his eyes, blurring his sight.  
"Ash," he forced himself to whisper. "Are you alright?"  
"I'm okay," Ash replied, a knot building in his throat. "I'm not hurt."  
Shigure smiled, despite the pain. "I'm glad."  
"Shigure!" Mewtwo cried, kneeling next to Ash.  
"Mewtwo," Shigure whispered hoarsely.  
His hand shot into the air. Mewtwo gently took hold of it.  
"Mewtwo," he implored. "Please take care of the others. They need someone they can trust."  
"No!" Mewtwo cried, unbridled tears flowing down his cheeks. "Don't talk like that! You're going to be all right. You're going to live."  
"Tell them," he continued, his voice quickly diminishing in strength. "Tell them that I'm sorry I won't be there for them. Tell them that. And you. . ." He gasped sharply. His voice became halting as he struggled to speak his last request. "I don't want you to cry for me forever. Please be happy. Do that for me. I will always watch over you from heaven. Fare. . .well."  
Shigure's grip began to weaken. Mewtwo held on tighter, unwilling to let it fall.  
"Shigure," he desperately begged, sobbing uncontrollably. "Don't let go of my hand. You have to hold on!"  
Shigure's eyes slowly closed. As his last, ragged breath gurgled from his throat he muttered his final words. "Mother, Father . . . I did my best."  
Then, his hand slipped from Mewtwo's grasp and fell to the ground. His head drooped limply to the side and the pool of blood ceased to grow. Mewtwo shook him furiously. It couldn't be true. He refused to accept it.  
"Shigure!" he cried. "Shigure! Shigure!"  
Mewtwo leaned back, wavering from side to side, and covered his mouth with his hands, shaking his head in shock and grief.  
"It can't be!"  
Mewtwo threw his arms around Shigure's lifeless, yet still warm body and wept bitterly.  
"My friend!" he wailed. "Don't leave me! You can't die!"  
Ash put his hand on Mewtwo's shoulder, tears flowing down his own face. He tried to comfort him. He wanted to say something, but no words would come to him, but even if he had, it wouldn't have mattered. Consumed by sorrow, Mewtwo wouldn't have heard them; he didn't even feel Ash's hand on his shoulder.  
Standing over them, Ivan began to back away in confusion. In his mind, he couldn't make sense of what had just happened. Shigure had sacrificed himself to save a boy he barely knew.  
"Why?" he muttered. "Why would he do it?"  
At the sound of Ivan's voice, Mewtwo's eyes popped open. Ivan had done this! It was him! He felt anger building up inside of him. Hate flooded his heart until it felt as though it might burst in his chest. A powerful hate. A horrible, destructive hate that he had never before felt toward anyone else.  
"You killed him!" he roared, rising to his feet so fast he nearly knocked Ash to the ground. His eyes glowed with a furious blue light. "YOU KILLED HIM!!!"  
Then, his wrath exploded. With a vengeful scream, he charged for Ivan. There was a sickening crack as Mewtwo's fist connected with Ivan's face, crushing his nose. He gagged on the blood as it oozed down his face and into his mouth. He started to fall backward, but Mewtwo took a hold of his coat and pulled him back to his feet. Ivan held out his hands in fear, but Mewtwo ignored him. He threw another massive punch into Ivan's gut, then brought his other fist up into Ivan's jaw, shattering the two front teeth from the impact. Then, Mewtwo grabbed onto Ivan's suit collar and began to savagely pummel his face. When Ivan's face became almost unrecognizable, Mewtwo threw him to the ground and drove his foot into his stomach.  
When he saw his boss in trouble, the helicopter's pilot took off and flew toward him. He activated the gattling gun on the front of it and prepared to fire on Mewtwo. Mewtwo pointed his open hand at the helicopter and launched black bolt of psychic energy, which struck the helicopter's engine. The pilot had a few seconds to scream before the flames of the tremendous explosion consumed him.  
As pieces of the helicopter rained down from above, Mewtwo turned his attention back to Ivan. He pointed his hand at Ivan's head. Another ball of black energy appeared. Tears were still flowing down his face as he glared at the one who had killed his friend.  
"Die!" he growled through his sobs.  
"Don't do it!"  
A hand grasped Mewtwo's arm. The flames of his fury were fanned by the interruption. Snarling, he punched the interloper with his other hand. With a painful cry, Ash fell to the ground. When he heard the cry, Mewtwo realized that he had just struck his friend.  
"Please," Ash begged. "Don't kill him."  
Mewtwo gasped. "Why shouldn't I?" he demanded, then, in a broken whisper, he said, "He killed Shigure."  
Ash bowed his head. "I know that," he replied, sobbing. "I know what he did and there's nothing right about it, but if you kill Ivan in anger, you'll be no different. You'll be a murderer. Don't be like him, Mewtwo," he was begging now. "You're better than that. I know you are."  
"But, Shigure," he whimpered.  
Ash looked Mewtwo directly in the eyes. Mewtwo saw the light reflecting off the tears that moistened them. "If you kill Ivan," he asked, "will it bring Shigure back?"  
Mewtwo took a step back. Shigure was dead, but did that really give him the right to kill Ivan? He looked down on Ivan. Ivan squinted back at him through his left eye, since his right eye was swollen shut.  
"Pasha," he mumbled. "Pashalusta ne . . . ube vay mi nya."  
Ivan was begging for his life. His mind was so racked from his beating that he had reverted back to speaking his first language. When Mewtwo realized it, it struck something inside him, grating against his heart like sandpaper. What was he doing? This wasn't the way he wanted to be. This wasn't the way that Shigure wanted him to be.  
He took a deep breath and felt his hatred dwindle away. The energy ball melted with his rage. He had done enough. His anger was satisfied. Turning from Ivan, he walked dazedly toward Shigure's body. He stood over it momentarily, then curled up like a fetus, crouching down beside the lifeless corpse.  
The hate was gone, but the pain of loss still remained. Shigure was gone, murdered before his very eyes. What was he supposed to do now? What reason did he have to go on?  
Suddenly, he felt a comforting hand on his shoulder.  
"Are you okay?" Misty asked.  
Mewtwo couldn't speak. He didn't know what to say. Shigure was gone. He had never felt so empty inside before. He turned to Misty and wrapped his arms around her like a toddler clinging to his mother. Misty returned the embrace, gently stroking his head.  
"It's alright," she whispered softly, reassuringly. "You're not alone. We're here for you."  
Ash and Brock sat down beside them. Together, they lamented for their lost loved one.  
Pushing himself to overcome the pain, Ivan forced himself to sit up. He managed to open his right eye halfway as he observed the four of them in complete bewilderment. They were crying. Why? He couldn't understand it. He'd never seen anyone show such an emotional connection to another person. Could that one man really have meant that much to them? For a brief instant, the horror of his actions dawned on him.  
'What have I done?' Ivan asked himself.  
Reaching up with his left hand, he pushed his nose back into place, wincing at the pain, which caused his eyes to water reflexively. He looked down at his hand. It was soaked in blood; his blood. His suit was covered in it as well. At the sight of it, he felt his anger beginning to boil.  
'What have I done?' he thought, retrieving his glasses. 'What have they done? What have they done to me!? They did this?'  
Growling, he grabbed the pistol that had fallen beside him and aimed it at Mewtwo's head.  
"It's not over yet!" he shouted.  
Time slowed to a crawl for Mewtwo when he heard the gun cock. The bullet exploded from the chamber. Twirling around quickly, Mewtwo thrust out his hand and called upon his power. The bullet slowed, then stopped, inches from his hand. Swinging his hand sharply to the side, he tossed the bullet away.  
Ivan's eyes widened in horror. He staggered to his feet and tried fire again. Mewtwo thrust out his hand once more and clenched it into a fist. The gun collapsed inward in Ivan's hand, crushed by Mewtwo's psychic power.  
Ivan stumbled backward as he tried to run. Cords of pale blue energy shot from Mewtwo's palm and bound Ivan's arms and legs together. He dropped to the ground, immobilized.  
"No!" he screamed. "I will never loose! Not to anyone!"  
Mewtwo drew his finger across his throat. Ivan's throat suddenly constricted, halting his ability to speak.  
"Shut up!" Mewtwo demanded. "I don't want to hear your voice anymore." 


	7. Requiem

7 Requiem  
Hidden in the trees, Jessie, James and Meowth watched the encounter between their boss and their longtime rivals. Even with everything they had done, they were still shaken by Ivan's actions. When they saw the police helicopter arrive shortly after Mewtwo had beaten him, they knew what it meant for them.  
"This is the end," James murmured. "Game over."  
"I can't believe it's happened," Jessie agreed. "No more Team Rocket, no more evil schemes and no more rich boss who's going to pay us a hundred thousand dollars."  
"On the upside," Meowth added, "we won't be needing to pay back all that money we borrowed."  
The three of them sighed. While it was true, it didn't provide them with much consolation. After all the hard work they had put into the company, it was gone. All for nothing.  
"Let's get out of here," Meowth said.  
"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again," Jessie moaned.  
"But this time," James noted, "it's for good."  
  
Officer Jenny stripped Ivan of his coat and pressed him against the side door of the police helicopter as she searched his clothing for any other weapons. After removing anything potentially dangerous, she put the handcuffs around his wrist.  
Ivan turned to Ash, glaring at him with fervent rage. "You've ruined me, boy!" he hissed venomously. "Do you hear me? Thanks to you, I've lost everything. My money, my business, everything. I warn you, there's no prison in the world that can keep me confined. No matter what it takes, I'll make sure you regret this!"  
"You have the right to remain silent," Officer Jenny pointed out. "I suggest you use it before you get yourself into a worse situation."  
Ivan growled furiously at her. What did she know? He was a broken man now. Everything was gone. His plans destroyed, his money lost and on his way to prison, there was nothing that could be worse for him. He had no doubt that others who had worked for him would testify against him, so that they could take everything he had fought his whole life to achieve. Even if he was ever released from prison, which he doubted he would be, he would have to start over. No one would ever trust him again, not like they had before. He could never get back to where he was. His dreams were lost, blown away with the wind.  
"Hold on a minute," Ash said as Officer Jenny began to shove Ivan into the helicopter.  
She stopped and allowed Ash to approach.  
"I know how angry you are about losing everything," Ash said. "But you have to realize that you brought it on yourself. You gave it all up when you took what no one has the right to take. You took another person's life. Shigure had dedicated his entire life to helping others. He was possibly the greatest man that ever lived and you killed him. You have taken something from this world that is very rare and all you can think about is what you've lost? He had everything he ever wanted because he loved others, while you lost everything because you only cared about yourself. Remember that as you spend your long days in a cold cell."  
Ivan glared at Ash with vile hatred. Who was he to talk to him like that? What gave him the right? He was Ivan Zokas, while Ash was just a stupid child.  
'It's all his fault,' Ivan fumed silently. 'It's all his fault! He did this! And now he mocks me! How dare he?'  
His angry thoughts kept building in his mind until he could no longer take it. As Officer Jenny began to push him into the helicopter again, his rage exploded like a bursting dam and all at once came pouring out of him. With a deranged cry, he snapped the handcuffs that bound him. He shoved Officer Jenny to the ground, grabbed the dagger that she had taken from him and charged for Ash.  
"I'll kill you!" he screamed.  
Ash saw Ivan charging for him. He stumbled back and fell against a tree.  
Ivan's rage was focused only on him. He had lost all control of himself and was no longer able to think rationally. He only knew one thing. Ash had to die! He thrust the dagger forward.  
The moment went by so fast that Ash was unsure of what exactly happened until it was over. At the last second, Mewtwo jumped in between the two of them, the knife sinking deeply into his shoulder. The pain hit him with such force that the shock of it paralyzed him.  
Even more enraged that he had been interrupted, he smacked Mewtwo with the back of his hand and knocked him to the ground. Turning the dagger over in his hand, he raised it above his head, glaring down at Ash with a maniacal gleam in his eye.  
"DIE!"  
As the blade began to fall toward his head, Ash heard the sound of a gunshot. The back of Ivan's headband shattered, sending shards of metal shooting into his brainstem. He gave a gargled scream as he slumped forward, his face smacking against the tree and shattering his glasses, then rolled off of it to the ground. His eyes had fixed in a lifeless stare long before he ever hit the ground. Sighing with disappointment, her hand a little shaky from what she had just been forced to do, Officer Jenny returned her gun to its holster.  
Ash didn't bother to give any thought to Ivan's death. He stepped over the body, ran to Mewtwo and crouched beside him.  
"Are you alright?" he asked.  
Mewtwo nodded. "It hurts," he said weakly, "but I'll live through it. When I saw him come at you, it was the only thing I could think of to do; to throw myself in the way. I've lost Shigure, I couldn't bear the thought of losing the only other person who ever treated me as a friend."  
"Thank you," Ash replied softly.  
  
The death of Maruyama Shigure was seen as a great loss by many around the world. People from almost every nation on the face of the Earth came to pay their respects at his wake. Mewtwo insisted that it be kept simple, but as more and more people showed up, it became difficult to keep it that way. Those who came included every high-ranking official of the Pokemon League, the executives of his company, and even a few representatives of different nations.  
A funeral pyre was erected in the town by the farmers and laced with flowers by the children. The Elite Four carefully laid the cleaned body to rest upon it and bowed to it with respect. As a soft flute played its solemn requiem, Mewtwo approached the pyre, Shigure's sword held gently in both hands. He placed the heirloom on Shigure's breast and laid the lifeless hands over it. Tears rolled freely down his cheeks as he lowered his head mournfully.  
"People can speak of love," he said, projecting his mental voice as far as was possible. "But no one knew what that word meant better Maruyama Shigure. Everyone here today can attest to the compassion that he had for the people of the world. Now that he is gone, we're left to wonder why. Why him? Why must someone who never did anything but show kindness to others have to die?  
"Shigure died just as he had lived. He died to save the life a boy whom he had only known for a few days. Even as he lay fatally shot and bleeding to death, the first thing he wanted to know was if the boy had been hurt. He didn't hesitate to step in front of his murderer, knowing it would mean his death. He would never have wanted it any other way.  
"I never understood what a family was before I met him," Mewtwo continued, turning to the crowd. "He showed me what it meant to love someone with the whole heart, without asking for anything in return. At last I know who I am and I am complete. I will never forget what he did for me, nor will I forget his last request of me, to be happy. When the grief has passed, I will find a way to honor his wishes.  
"Shigure often spoke of a path of honor. He spent his life following that path and, even though it was difficult at times, he never regretted it. He has reached the end of his path. We must say farewell to him now, but the honor of his spirit will never depart this world as long as we remember."  
Turning back to the pyre, Mewtwo laid his head on Shigure's shoulder. "Farewell, my friend, rest in peace."  
Mewtwo stepped back, nodding to Ash. Holding back his sobs, the young boy extended the lit torch toward the pyre and the oil soaked wood came to life. As night descended over the ceremony, flames danced hungrily into the sky. The orange light glittered in Mewtwo's moistened eyes, but his face was strong with determination. He knew that it would not be easy, but he was prepared to live on, just as his friend had asked of him.  
The fire consumed more than a body that night. With Shigure's death, a part of Ash's life was also cast into the fire. From that day, Ash realized, he could never be the same person as before. He had a new responsibility, to honor the sacrifice that Shigure had made for him. Shigure's final words, "I did my best," remained with him. He would see to it that when his own life came to its end, he would be able to claim the same thing. 


	8. Epilogue

Epilogue  
As Ash watched his students training their pokemon, he felt a sense of pride in knowing that he was a part of their experience of growing up. After he had completed his journeys around the world, he had returned to his old home in Pallet Town, which had grown considerably in size since he left it. He was now the head trainer of the recently built Pallet Town Gym, but people came to Pallet Town more than to just train in his gym. In the long years, he had become a motivational speaker of world renown.  
Smiling, he went into his office to check on his Pikachu's new family. During his travels, he and his friends had found a female Pikachu and just recently, it had given birth to fifteen babies.  
He sat down at his desk and admired them. They were adorable little things, with their tiny, pink bodies. They had not yet opened their eyes and spent their every waking moment suckling their mother. As he watched the babies sleeping softly, he felt a sense of joy fill his heart.  
"This is real happiness, isn't it?" he said, petting his Pikachu.  
"Pika," it affirmed.  
At that moment there came a soft knock at the door. He turned toward the door as one of his younger students entered.  
"There's someone here to see you, Mr. Ketchum," he said.  
"Do we have another student?" Ash asked as he rose to his feet.  
"No," the student replied. "He says he's an old friend of yours."  
Ash followed the student to the gym lobby, wondering who it was that had come to visit him. When he entered the room and saw his visitor, his jaw dropped. He stood their for a silent moment, unsure of what to say.  
Sitting on the couch in the front of the room, was Mewtwo. Next to him, a young girl who looked about eight-years-old was leaning against him. She had fine, black hair that she was wearing two short ponytails. Her eyes were dark green and seemed endlessly alert as they moved about, absorbing everything around her.  
"It's been a long time," Ash said finally.  
"Yes," Mewtwo agreed. "Almost twenty years."  
The flood of memories brought tears to his eyes as he took a seat in the chair next to him. He smiled and wiped them away.  
"What brings you here?" he asked.  
"I just wanted see you," Mewtwo replied. "It's been so long since that day, I wanted to talk to you."  
There was a short silence.  
"How have you been doing?" Ash asked.  
Mewtwo shrugged. "I've been doing alright," he said. "In Shigure's will, he left everything to me and named one of the women of my home as a trustee to make it legal. I lived alone for a while, not knowing what to do with myself. Then one day, in a fit of depression, I sat down and started writing the thoughts and feelings that had been building up in me. Eight months later, at Ben's insistence, I published my first book."  
"What Is Life?" Ash said, nodding. "I was surprised when I saw you're name on the cover. I've read all three of your books since then. When will you're next one be out?"  
"It will still be a few months before it's completed," Mewtwo explained. "I'm writing it on family. The family is a priceless treasure. It's painful to see how many people forget how much joy it provides."  
Ash nodded. "So true," he said. "I guess that's something you would know more about than most people, isn't it?"  
Mewtwo nodded. "Since I've lived both with and without one, I know just how important a family really is."  
At that moment, Pikachu entered the room. It squealed joyfully when it saw Mewtwo and rushed to him. Climbing up onto his lap, it noticed the young girl. It sniffed her curiously.  
"Pikachu?" it inquired.  
Ash laughed. "I'm sorry," he said. "I forgot to ask. Who is your friend?"  
Mewtwo looked to the girl. She rose from the couch and bowed politely.  
"My name is Megumi," she said. "It's nice to meet you Mr. Ketchum."  
"It's nice to meet you too, Megumi," Ash said. "Please, just call me Ash."  
Megumi nodded.  
"Do you want to go play with the other children?" Mewtwo asked her.  
"Can I?" she asked.  
"Go right ahead," Ash replied.  
The young girl bowed again and then ran off to the other room, Pikachu following her. Ash smiled as he watched her.  
"She seems a little shy," Ash commented.  
"Megumi's parents were abusive and she was taken from them when she only two," Mewtwo explained. "For four years after, she had been in seventeen different foster homes. I met her a year ago. She reminded me so much of Shigure, that I decided I would take her in."  
Ash laughed. "A pokemon raising a human?" he commented. "That's something I'd never heard of before. How did you manage that?"  
"There were some legal issues involved," Mewtwo agreed with a chuckle. "Officially, my trustee at my home is her foster parent and she's working on adopting her, but it is really myself who takes care of her. She's had a hard time getting along with human adults, but she and I came to understand each other quickly. She's like a daughter to me and I want to do for her what Shigure did for me.  
"Children are the hope of the future. It is our sons and daughters who will be the greatest legacy we leave behind. If we can teach them honor and integrity, then perhaps they will grow up to create the world that Shigure wanted to see. A world where no one has to be alone and where compassion rules people's lives instead of greed."  
"That's why I became a motivational speaker," Ash said. "Everywhere I go, I try to teach others the principles that it took me my whole life to learn. Children are always my favorite audience to talk to. Adults think that they already know everything that they need, but children want to learn. So, I teach them. That is how I repay Shigure for the sacrifice he made for me."  
There was a long pause between them. The meeting had brought up so many memories that both of them found it hard to speak. There was so much to say, but what to say first was difficult to decide on.  
The long silence was finally broken when Ash's cell phone rang. He apologized for the interruption and then answered it.  
"Hello? I'm with an old friend at the moment. Why?" There was a short pause, then Ash's eyes went wide. "You want what? But the market isn't even on the way home."  
Ash's expression changed to a worried look. "Please don't be that way. It's just . . . No of course I do."  
Suddenly, Ash pulled the phone away from his ear, clenching his teeth. The volume of the person's voice on the other end made even Mewtwo wince.  
"A-alright," he stammered. "I'll stop by the grocery store before I come home. Yes. I love you, too. Goodbye."  
Ash turned off the phone and put it back on his belt. He sighed deeply, a look of utter bewilderment on his face.  
"That was Misty," he explained.  
"She sounded angry," Mewtwo noted.  
Ash nodded. "She was angry. And sad. And happy. And every other emotion that humans can feel. We're out of pickles."  
Mewtwo raised an eyebrow in confusion.  
"She's six months pregnant now," Ash explained.  
"Ah," Mewtwo said. "I'm happy for you."  
Ash smiled. "It's absolutely crazy," he said with a wry chuckle. "But if I can survive just three more months, it will be our first child."  
There was another short silence, then Mewtwo spoke up again.  
"You know," he said, "I've heard that many people think that you are the world's greatest pokemon trainer."  
Ash shrugged. "Some people say that," he said. "I don't know if it's true or not, but some people say that."  
"Is it everything you wanted it to be?"  
Ash thought about it for a moment. "It's not as great as I had always dreamed it would be. In fact, compared to many of my other accomplishments, it's really kind of empty. I've realized, though, that being the best was never something that I needed. I've had what was really important all along."  
  
Mewtwo stayed for a few hours with Ash to reminisce. They told each other everything that had happened to them that seemed important. Ash also got to know Megumi and showed her the Pikachu babies. The two of them became very close and were like family by the end of the day.  
During the time that Mewtwo was with Ash, Misty called several more times. She had much to say as well once she found out that Mewtwo was the one her husband was with. As the sun began to set, Misty began to call in and demand that Ash come home. Not wanting to get him in trouble, Mewtwo decided that it was time for him to go home as well.  
They gathered outside the gym for a last goodbye before they parted.  
"Let's not wait another twenty years before we meet again," Ash said. "Come by and visit anytime you want to. We'll always keep a room for you and Megumi at our home."  
"Thank you," Mewtwo said. "The same goes for you. You should come to my home sometime. Phoebe really wants you to come and model for another picture."  
Ash smiled. "I'll be sure and do that," he agreed. Then, to Megumi, he added, "When you get old enough to become a trainer, you come back and see me. I'll keep one of Pikachu's babies just for you."  
"Thank you, Uncle Ash," Megumi said.  
Lifting her up, he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her.  
"Uncle Ash?" Mewtwo repeated. "I suppose that would make us brothers wouldn't it?"  
Ash nodded. "I'd like to think of it that way," he agreed. "You're a part of our family. Remember, family is always there for you when you need them. If you ever have need for anything, we'll be ready to help in whatever way we can."  
"Thank you," Mewtwo said. "Goodbye, brother."  
"Goodbye, brother," Ash said.  
  
As Ash watched Mewtwo and Megumi leave, a strong sense of happiness came over him. He truly had everything that a man could ask for. He had the love of his family, a sense of purpose in the world, and a new generation with which he could leave his legacy. What more did he need?  
'The path of honor isn't always easy, he thought to himself as his phone began to ring again. But it is certainly worth the effort.' 


	9. Commentary

Commentary  
  
They say that the greatest critic is the mind of the author. Supposing this is true, I feel I have the right to speak my mind about my own work. This is strictly for the curiosity of anyone who reads my work and if you're actually reading this, I'm assuming that you read my work. If any of you wish to have me comment on your work in the same manner, feel free to contact me.  
  
Planning and preparation  
I must admit the truth to you right now. I am not actually a Pokemon fan. My personal opinion has always been that the show has a very good concept, but lacks the proper presentation for said concept. It no doubt could have become one of the best TV shows ever made, but it fell sadly short, just like most Disney films and all the "works" of Genndy Tartakovsky. The only reason that I wrote this fanfic in the first place is because I had nothing else to work on. I had written the outline for this story as a bet I'd made that if a real writer had a hold of the show, it could be good. I was about twelve at that time and absolutely convinced that I was the best writer in the world. Anyhow, I found that outline on my desk while I was struggling with writer's block and thought, 'Eh, what the heck.' I started to do research for this project immediately. Yes. I am a freak who has to research everything about a topic before I begin to write on it. Why do you ask? I must say that research was quite an eye opening experience. Thanks to the Internet, and the uncensored first movie loaned to me by a friend who lived in Japan for thirteen years, I have gained a begrudging respect for the show. I still feel that it could be much better than it is, but I don't think it's completely stupid, as the censored American version would lead you to believe. There is a lot more to Pokemon than is immediately apparent. My research mostly stuck to studying the characters and the geography, as well as getting myself up to date with the current season. Also a part of the planning stage was fixing up my outline. I had written it before what I like to call my "first paradigm shift;" before I had really figured out what makes a good story. The outline was very rough and full of action with little time spent on character interaction or development. In the course of cleaning it up, Team Rocket's involvement with Ash and co. became lessened, Ivan Zokas replaced Giovanni, Maruyama Shigure developed from an obscure hermit to a generous and charitable man and Gary Oak was dropped from the plot entirely. Another major change was that, in the original, both Shigure and Mewtwo were killed. Even though I like tragedies, this didn't seem right for the kind of theme I wanted to put into my story, so I reworked it so that Mewtwo survived, which seemed to work out better in the end.  
  
Characters  
The success to any good story does not lie in the action, or even in the plot at all, but in the characters. If the characters don't seem real, or if you can't make your audience identify with them in some way, then what happens to those characters is unimportant and the story is a waste of time. That was the big discovery of my "first paradigm shift" and it led to the rule that I never make a character important unless I know everything about that character: his personality, his history, where he comes from, how he thinks, etc. This led to some problems in writing a fanfic, where I did not create the characters that the story is about. As far as I know, there are no episodes in the show that are about the pasts of the characters, which is its key fault. Instead, I had to rely on inferences and guesswork, which made me worry about how an audience would accept my work once I submitted it (something I didn't originally intend to do). I am curious to know your opinions on my portrayal, so please let me know if you find the time.  
Ash is undoubtedly the main character of the story. It revolves around what happens to him and how it affects him. Ash is one of Pokemon's most developed characters, so I didn't loose too much sleep wondering about how I would use him. My opinion of him is that he is still at that naïve age where you believe that you are the most important person in the world. This is not yet a bad thing for him and I don't feel it will become a problem for him. He is basically a good person, though a bit lazy and self- centered, he just needs a little more time to grow up. I gathered that he was also more than a little impressionable and can be easily influenced by what people he respects say to him. Looking back over the story, I do believe I brought out this trait just a little to strongly, which make him seems kind of stupid in one particular scene, which I did not intend. I really wanted to make this a growing up story for Ash, in a sense, start him down the path to adulthood. I did not want him to be the same person in the end as he was in the beginning. I achieved this mainly through his interaction with Maruyama-san. Ultimately, I do believe that Ash became a stronger and more mature person because of the time he spent with Shigure. The epilogue was another addition to the original outline, since I wanted to show the audience what kind of person he became because of his experience.  
Misty was an interesting character to me. She was a tomboy, with three older sisters, who probably all played with Barbie dolls and spent ninety hours a week combing their hair. I always pictured her as the kind of person you would hear people talk about, saying things like "Her father always wanted a boy." Nonetheless, the influence of her sisters is apparent on her. She has a sense of manners, she doesn't like bugs and she does spend enough time on her hair to put it into a (whatever you call that thing sticking up out of her head). She seems very independent and not so interested in proving herself to anyone as other people on the show. Her purpose in the show, as I understand it, is to be an anchor for Ash's ego, keeping him from getting an inflated opinion of himself (if she can). As this was to be a growing up story for Ash, I didn't make use of this too much, but it does pop up every now and then.  
One of my inferences about her was one that I had guessed at from the time my friend showed me the uncensored version of the first movie. In my mind, I see Misty as having strong motherly instincts, though it is a side of her that she tries not to show. I show this towards the end. When Shigure is killed and Mewtwo is beside himself with grief, it is she who embraces him, providing him with the comfort and warmth that he needs to go on. I personally think that this is my best character moment with her, though some of you may disagree with me.  
There was one aspect that I added to her character; a biting wit. The reason for this is that Misty reminds me a lot of my girlfriend. They are so similar in behavior and appearance, that it's kind of scary. The difference between them is that my girlfriend has a very sharp tongue (knife-edged, as I have described it). I added this to Misty because it helped me to personalize myself with the character, making her easier for me to work with.  
Brock (chuckles weakly). Those of you who list Brock as their favorite character in Pokemon will probably hate me for this work. You may think that he seems out of place, or that he isn't really doing anything important to the plot. If either of these are your opinion, you are absolutely correct. Working with him made me feel very uncomfortable because he is the character I know the least about. All that I can gather about him is that he wants to be a breeder and that at times he is a bit more mature than the rest of them, even though he is kind of a playboy. I have not, for the life of me, been able to figure out what his purpose in the show is. What exactly does he do? As a result of this, he comes off as kind of an empty character. His dialogue is choppy and often only meant to say, "I'm still here!" I believe that this is the same problem that the directors had with half the cast in the disastrous live-action movie based on the game Street Fighter II.  
The Team Rocket Trio, consisting of Jessie, James and Meowth, were another set of characters that troubled me. The difference between them and Brock was the fact that I know what they do. The answer is nothing. The TRT don't do anything that permanently affects the plot or moves the story in any way. Nothing they do has consistent effects from one episode to the next and, in the first movie, they could have been removed from the plot entirely and it wouldn't have made a difference. They are the weakest characters on the show, but since I had Team Rocket involved in the plot, I felt that I had to make some use of them somehow. Their part is very small and they're moved to the fringe ends of the plot, but I did find a place for them. Through their bumbling and stumbling they actually make the climax of the plot possible when they reveal the location of Mewtwo to Ivan. I'm pleased with how their involvement turned out. Jessie and James lovers can feel free to yell at me if they wish, but it was either this, or hurt my brain trying to make use of characters that are otherwise just useless and annoying.  
In every single book that I write, I usually like to have a character that represents myself, and allows me to express my personal feelings exactly as I feel them. In this story, Mewtwo is that character. In the first movie, Mewtwo was the character I most identified with, though the reasons for this can only be seen in the uncensored version. Mewtwo is a very deep thinking, philosophically inclined person. He is always wondering what the purpose of life is, why he was born and what he is supposed to do with his life. Even though he is certainly capable of caring for others, he can't seem to get over the fact that humans created him only for the purpose of being their servant and at first only wanted to prove that he wasn't a slave to any human. Even after his first meeting with Ash, he still has a hard time getting along with people and feels that they only see him as a source of unchallengable power. That is very much like the kind of person that I am and his life's story is one that I strongly identify with. One of my friends actually declared my writing of this story as "My secret love affair with Mewtwo." While that's a kind of disturbing way to put it, it actually doesn't hit too far off the mark.  
I did introduce two characters to the plot and I used them to bring my theme out. Shigure (called Robert in the original outline), was the good example for my theme. I wanted to make him a skilled, almost legendary, trainer of pokemon, but at the same time wanted him to be a very generous and caring person. In order to make him into this kind of person, the idea of have both of his parents killed by a fire developed. I gave him a strong desire to honor his parents because of their sacrifice for him. To me, this was one of those things that you really wish hadn't happened to him, but at the same time, you know that if it hadn't, he never would have become the person he was. Life is very sad that way. Sometimes the things hurt us the most are the things that do the best for us. I tried to develop it so that my audience wouldn't see his death coming until just before it happened, but at the same time, I didn't want it to be a surprise for anyone. It was supposed to be one of those things that just seemed natural. It just had to happen. I think that I did a fairly decent job of this, though I won't know for sure until I get some feedback. Ivan Zokas is the other introduced character and the bad example of my theme. Should you care to know, his name is pronounced Ee-vahn, not I-ven. Ivan, I think, is actually one of my best villains. Unfortunately, I didn't really bring out his character as much as I wanted to. There was a lot to his personality that I couldn't find a way to show in the plot. When he first meets with Shigure and the others, trying to convince them to sell Mewtwo to him, you get an idea of what I wanted him to seem like. On the outside, he's a silver-tongued serpent who could sell a refrigerator to an Eskimo. That was what I really wanted my audience to see in him, but I think it failed to come across. I did get the real Ivan out pretty well, though. His ambitious, cruel and shrewd nature is more than apparent. The idea to make Ivan a smoker was not a part of the original. When I started writing, Ivan seemed very mechanical in his actions. He seemed to really lack a quirk to make him seem like a human, instead of some kind of killing machine. While I was doing an assignment for my English class, I wrote up some really great imagery with a smoker and I liked it so much I decided to throw it in. Later, as I was detailing the final battle and the part with Charizard turning on Ivan and burning his coat, I realized he'd lost his cigarettes. I have had a particularly bad experience with addictions, so I know just what was going through Ivan's mind in those last few moments. Everything is falling down around him and his only concern is the nicotine monkey on his back. I think it was actually pretty clever to use his addiction against him.  
  
Plot and Presentation  
Plot is the basic story, stripped down to its outline. Presentation is how you give that plot to your audience. These are the things that people will pay the most attention to, so most beginning writers think that they are the most important. Remember, people will accept a semi-decent plot if you have good enough characters, but you can't have a good plot with half-developed characters.  
I'm pretty confident with my plot and I think it can hold out on its own. Most of my problems lie in presentation. My specific problems are dialogue and pacing. My problems with dialogue come from the fact that I'm anti-social and I don't know how people speak. Still, I do my best and I'm hoping that I get the most suggestions in this area. As far as pacing go, I'm experimenting. Pacing must be smooth and perfectly timed. If you go too fast, like I do a few times, then it seems sketchy, like a drawing that hasn't had its guidelines erased. If you go to slow, you'll just bore your audience to death, like in The Scarlet Letter. If you have any ideas on how to smooth over my pacing, please let me know. I'm willing to try anything to improve my work.  
Another part of presentation is word choice and description, which could be compared to the camera angles and lighting in films. I'll be frank, when I started this project, I wasn't taking it seriously, so I didn't utilize all of my talents. Now, however, I really wish that I had. Even though I didn't give it my all, I still had a few places that were pretty good. Examples: Giovanni's death and the last bit of the battle between Sparky and Pikachu. Those are pretty good. Not the best in the world perhaps, but still pretty good. Something that I discovered in this project is that, if done right, there are some things that can hold an audience better than action. According to my friend, Mewtwo's seizure was more suspenseful than any of the battle sequences. While its obvious to me now, I honestly hadn't given the concept any thought.  
  
Conclusion  
Normally, this would be the part were I would give advice to the person who's work I'm reviewing. Since I'm analyzing my own work, I'll just give you the advice that I would've given myself and perhaps you can benefit from it. First, keep an open mind. If I had let my personal opinion of Pokemon stop me from writing this, I would have missed a great deal of useful experience. Second, always give your writing everything you've got. If you only do a half-hearted job, you will end up regretting it. I know I did.  
  
Sayonara and happy writing,  
  
Reynold James Dalton 


End file.
